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Logical 


BT    201    .B87    1905 

Burrell,  David  James,  1844- 

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Christ  and  men 


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CHRIST  AND  MEN 


The    Works     of 
David  James  Burrell 


The  Wonderful  Teacher  and  What 
He  Taught 

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Christ  and  Other  Men 

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the  human  side  of  Jesus'  character  as  shown  in  his  interviews 
with  men,  his  tact,  his  discernment,  his  delicate  handling  of 
people.  As  Heine  says:  "  Jesus  was  no  dreamer  among  the 
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Christ  and  Progress 

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The  Church  in  the  Fort 

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The  Unaccountable  Man  and  Other 
Sermons 

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Fleming    H.  Revell    Company 

Tublijhtrj 


CHRIST  AND 

MEN 


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of 


SEP   24  1963 


BY 


Logical  ^^ 


DAVID  J.  BURRELL 

PASTOR   OF    THE    COLLEGIATE   CHURCH 
COR.    FIFTH   AVENUE   AND  29TH  STREET 


New  York       Chicago       Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London   and   Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1905,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York  :  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago :  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto  :  27  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London  :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh  :     100  Princes   Street 


PREFACE 


This  book  is  the  outcome  of  a  series  of  sermons  in- 
tended to  set  forth  the  teachings  of  Jesus  in  His 
conversations  with  individuals  and  groups  of  men. 

The  human  side  of  His  character  is  revealed  most 
clearly  in  such  interviews.  There  was  never  finer 
tact  than  His,  nor  ever  such  nice  discernment  of 
things  and  delicate  handling  of  people. 

We  shall  see  herein  that,  as  Heine  says,  "Jesus 
was  no  dreamer  among  the  shadows,  but  a  man 
among  men." 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/christmen1905burr 


CONTENTS 


The  Child  and  the  Emperor 9 

The  Youth  and  the  Doctors 19 

The  Man  and  the  People 29 

The  Plan  of  the  Campaign 40 

The  Evolution  of  a  Creed 52 

The  Credentials  of  Christ 64 

The  Evidential  Value  of  Miracles 76 

Intolerance 88 

The  Larger   Christ 100 

"  Blessed  be  Drudgery  " 109 

Home   Ministries 118 

Covetousness       129 

Practical    Religion 138 

The  Problem  of  Poverty 147 

A  Friend  in  Need 158 

"  Room  for  the  Leper  !  " 168 

Our  Friends  in   Heaven 179 

Fault-Finding 192 

Forgiving 202 

The   Implacable  Law 212 

Profession  and  Practice 224 

Stumbling     Blocks 235 

The  Mistakes  of  a  Pharisee 246 

Freedom       258 

In  Sight  of  Heaven 269 

The  Second  Coming  of  Christ 280 


CHRIST   AND    MEN 


THE   CHILD   AND   THE   EMPEROR 

In  which  the  Imperial  Son  of  God  is  brought  into  contact 
with  the  most  imperial  of  men;  and  thrones  tremble  at 
the  beginning  of  the  March  toward  the  Golden  Age. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  there  went  out  a 
decree  from  Ccesar  Augustus,  that  all  the  world  should 
be  enrolled.  And  Joseph  went  up  from  Galilee,  out  of 
the  city  of  Nazareth,  into  Judcea,  to  the  city  of  David, 
which  is  called  Bethlehem,  because  he  was  of  the  house 
and  family  of  David;  to  enroll  himself  with  Mary,  who 
was  betrothed  to  him,  being  great  with  child. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  while  they  were  there,  the  days 
were  fulfilled  that  she  should  be  delivered. 

And  she  brought  forth  her  firstborn  son;  and  she 
wrapped  him  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  him  in  a 
manger,  because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 
Luke  ii,  1-7  (cf.  Matt,  ii,  1-18). 

"  It  came  to  pass  in  those  days,"  says  Luke.  The 
phrase  is  significant.  Rome  had  overspread  the  world 
"  in  those  days,"  and  Caesar  was  a  name  to  juggle 
with.  "  In  those  days "  there  was  no  more  open 
vision;  the  lights  of  the  sanctuary  were  quenched  and 
the  sceptre  had  departed  from  Judah.  "  In  those 
days  "  the  cycle  of  the  World  Powers  had  been  com- 
pleted and  the  time  was  ripe  for  the  fulfilment  of 
Daniel's  vision :     "  /  saw  by  night,  and  behold,  the 


10  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

four  winds  of  heaven  strove  upon  the  sea:  and  four 
beasts  came  up,  diverse  one  from  another.  The  first 
was  like  a  lion  and  had  eagle's  wings.  The  second 
was  like  a  bear;  and  tJtey  said  unto  it,  Arise,  devour 
much  flesh!  The  third  was  like  a  leopard,  having  four 
heads;  and  dominion  was  given  unto  it.  And,  behold, 
tlie  fourth  beast  was  dreadful  and  terrible  and  strong 
exceedingly ;  it  had  iron  teeth;  it  devoured  and  brake 
in  pieces  and  stamped  the  residue  of  it." 

The  lion,  the  bear  and  the  leopard  had  successively- 
run  their  course  in  the  rise  and  fall  of  Babylonia, 
Medo-Persia  and  Macedonia;  and  Rome,  the  nonde- 
script fourth  beast,  was  now  in  its  climacteric  of 
power.  Let  Daniel  say  what  should  follow :  "  /  be- 
held till  the  beast  was  slain  and  his  body  destroyed. 
And  behold  the  Ancient  of  Days  did  sit  upon  a  throne 
like  the  fiery  flame,  and  there  was  given  him  dominion 
and  glory,  and  a  kingdom,  that  all  peoples,  nations  and 
languages  should  serve  him.  His  dominion  is  an  ever- 
lasting dominion,  and  his  kingdom  for  ever  and  ever." 
(Dan.  vii,  1-14.) 

The  fulness  of  time  being  come,  God  crosses  the 
border  into  the  territory  of  earthly  power.  The  Incar- 
nation is  an  invasion.  A  strange  invasion !  No  trum- 
pets are  heard,  no  roar  of  artillery  disturbs  the  quiet 
of  the  early  morning.  A  mother  sits  crooning  a  lullaby 
to  an  Infant  in  her  arms.  This  is  the  first  note  of  the 
onset.  What  could  be  more  helpless  than  the  pink, 
dimpled  hand  that  lies  here  on  the  mother's  breast? 
Yet  this  hand  is  destined  to  cut  the  sinews  of  Roman 
supremacy  and  change  the  currents  of  history  through 
all  the  coming  ages. 

Once  and  again  this  Child,  during  the  thirty  years 


THE    CHILD    AND    THE    EMPEROR     11 

of  the  earthly  sojourn,  is  destined  to  meet  the  Em- 
peror face  to  face ;  and  always  with  the  same  result. 
All  subsequent  history  will  be  the  record  of  the  tri- 
umphant march  of  Immanuel  toward  his  undisputed 
reign  in  the  Golden  Age. 

The  first  approach  of  the  two  powers  was  at  the 
massacre  of  Bethlehem.  It  is  written  that  "  Herod 
was  troubled  "  when  he  heard  of  one  "  born  King  of 
the  Jews."  Well  might  he  be  troubled ;  old,  feeble, 
bloody-minded,  pursued  by  conscience,  harried  by  the 
furies  of  a  mislived  past,  this  Idumean  usurper,  repre- 
senting Caesar's  authority  in  Judea,  was  ill  prepared  to 
meet  a  new  disturbance  of  his  provincial  rule.  And 
his  fear  was  well-grounded,  since  Jesus  was  really  of 
the  royal  line.  Had  he  known  all  the  facts  in  the  case 
he  would  have  redoubled  his  efforts  to  destroy  the 
Child.  His  birth  was  a  far  more  ominous  fact  than 
Herod  dreamed.  Let  Caesar  himself  tremble !  The 
song  of  the  angels  on  the  Judean  hills  is  the  trumpet 
call  of  a  martial  host  arrayed  against  all  powers  of 
evil. 

The  incident  at  Bethlehem,  however,  was  a  mere 
preliminary  skirmish.  The  murder  of  a  score  of  chil- 
dren was  an  episode  of  slight  consequence  in  the  royal 
policies  of  those  days.  And  it  failed  to  accomplish  its 
purpose ;  for  "  Joseph  arose  and  took  the  young  child 
and  his  mother  by  night  and  fled  into  Egypt." 

The  affair  was  shrewdly  planned;  but  Herod  reck- 
oned without  God.  The  futility  of  the 'bloody  deed  is 
set  forth  in  two  masterpieces  of  recent  art.  One  of 
them  is  Holman  Hunt's  "  Triumph  of  the  Innocents," 
in  which  Joseph  and  the  Virgin  Mother  and  her  Child 
are  represented  on  their  wayto  Egypt,  followed  by  the 


12  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

spirits  of  the  slain  innocents,  one  of  whom  carries  a 
golden  censer,  while  others  come  trooping  after  with 
palm  branches.  These  are  the  vanguard  of  that  noble 
army  of  martyrs  who  ever  since  have  "  followed  in  his 
train." 

The  other  picture  is  "  The  Repose  in  Egypt,"  by 
Gerome.  It  represents  the  dull-eyed,  wondering 
Sphinx,  on  the  verge  of  the  desert,  between  the  world 
without  hope  and  the  world  of  progress.  It  is  night. 
In  the  arms  of  the  great  image  the  mother  reposes 
with  the  Child  on  her  bosom ;  and  from  his  face  there 
radiates  a  light  which  penetrates  the  darkness  of  the 
surrounding  wastes. 

It  was  indeed  a  memorable  flight ;  the  first  strategic 
move  in  the  long  campaign  of  centuries.  It  was  a  re- 
treat preparatory  to  an  advance  all  along  the  line. 

We  shall  not  see  the  Child  and  the  Emperor  face  to 
face  again  until  the  former  has  grown  to  manhood. 
His  ministry  is  now  under  way.  He  has  gone  up  and 
down  among  the  villages  preaching,  working  wonders, 
troubling  the  corrupt  times.  His  name  is  on  every  lip. 
He  enters  Jerusalem  at  length  and  begins  to  preach. 
Herod,  desirous  of  making  an  end  to  his  influence, 
presumes  to  threaten  him.1  His  underlings  come  to 
Jesus,  saying,  "  Get  thee  out  and  depart  hence,  for 
Herod  will  kill  thee ! "  But  Jesus  sees  through  the 
shallow  device  of  the  intriguing  court.  Observe  his 
calm  disdain :  "  Go  tell  that  fox,  Behold,  I  cast  out 
devils  and  do  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the 

1  This  is  not  the  Herod  of  the  massacre,  but  Herod  Anti- 
pas,  another  of  a  smaller  mould,  who  has  been  characterized 
by  a  distinguished  historian  as  "the  meanest  thing  the  world 
ever  saw." 


THE    CHILD    AND    THE    EMPEROR     13 

third  day  I  shall  be  perfected.  Tell  him,  I  must  walk 
to-day  and  to-morrow  and  the  day  following;  for  it 
cannot  be  that  a  prophet  shall  perish  out  of  Jerusalem." 
And  the  work  goes  on. 

In  vain  does  the  earthworm  lift  its  head  against  the 
advancing  chariot  of  the  King.  "  I  must  walk !  "  The 
behest  of  divine  duty  is  upon  Jesus ;  and  who  or  what 
shall  prevent  it?  He  must  accomplish  the  mighty  task 
which  has  brought  him  from  heaven  to  earth.  "  The 
kings  of  the  earth  do  set  themselves  and  the  rulers 
take  counsel  together,  saying,  '  Let  us  break  his  bands 
asunder  and  cast  his  cords  from  us ! '  He  that  sitteth 
in  the  heavens  shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in 
derision." 

It  is  the  story  of  the  centuries.  "  Kindle  the  fag- 
ots !  Sharpen  the  sword !  Let  loose  the  lions  !  "  cries 
Caesar.  "  We  will  make  an  end  of  the  Nazarene  and  his 
religion ! "  But  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  ever  the 
seed  of  the  Church.  The  royal  standards  onward  go. 
"  I  must  walk !  "  says  the  Master.  "  I  must  walk  on 
the  heights  of  Bozrah,  in  the  majesty  of  the  Avenger, 
with  garments  dyed  red.  I  must  walk  in  the  glory  of 
him  who  cometh  from  Teman  with  the  pestilence  be- 
fore him." 

"  Herod  will  kill  thee,"  forsooth.  So  they  said  in 
the  Terror  when  the  streets  of  Paris  were  slippery 
with  the  blood  of  the  innocents.  The  image  of  the 
Virgin  Mother  was  torn  from  its  shrine  in  Notre 
Dame  and  supplanted  by  a  living  courtesan,  whom  the 
mob  worshipped  as  Goddess  of  Reason.  Through  the 
clash  of  arms  and  the  shriek  of  the  dying  was  heard 
the  grim  word  of  Voltaire,  "  Crush  the  Nazarene ! " 
But  calm  over  all  rose  the  voice  of  the  Master,  "  I 


14  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

must  walk  to-day,  to-morrow  and  the  day  following! 
I  must  lead  my  militant  hosts,  until  the  tabernacle  of 
God  shall  come  down  among  men." 

So  runs  the  Parable  of  Progress :  "  For  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  like  to  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  which 
a  man  took  and  sowed  in  his  field:  which  indeed  is 
the  least  of  all  seeds;  but  when  it  is  grown,  it  is  the 
greatest  among  herbs,  and  becometh  a  tree,  so  that  the 
birds  of  the  air  come  and  lodge  in  the  branches  of  it." 

The  next  meeting  of  Christ  and  Caesar  was  on  the 
last  day  of  the  public  ministry,  when  Jesus  was  teach- 
ing in  Solomon's  Porch.  The  Herodians,  representing 
the  Roman  government  in  the  Jewish  Sanhedrin,  sent 
a  delegation  to  ensnare  him.  They  said,  "  Master,  we 
know  that  thou  teachest  truth  and  regardest  not  the 
person  of  men ;  tell  us,  therefore,  what  thinkest  thou. 
Is  is  lawful  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar  or  not?  "  Observe 
again  the  calm  disdain :  "  Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye  mask- 
wearers?  Show  me  the  tribute  money."  They  gave 
him  a  penny ;  and  he  said,  "  Whose  is  this  image  and 
superscription?"  They  answered,  "Caesar's."  Then 
said  he,  "  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 

This  was  "  diplomacy  "  at  its  highest  and  best ;  an 
illustration  of  the  truth  that  "  peace  hath  its  victories 
no  less  renowned  than  war."  The  conference  on  this 
occasion  was  of  immeasurable  importance  not  only 
because  the  parties  concerned  were  the  authorities  of 
earth  and  heaven,  but  because  of  the  great  principle 
which  was  evolved  from  it. 

Once  and  again  the  world  powers  have  met,  in 
what  are  technically  known  as  "  conventions,"  for  the 
distribution  of  spoils  or  the  division  of  territory.   Such 


THE    CHILD    AND    THE    EMPEROR     15 

was  the  "  convention  of  1572,"  when  Catharine  de 
Medici  and  the  Duke  of  Alva  came  together  on  the 
borders  of  Spain  to  divide  between  them  the  Continent 
of  Europe  for  the  inquisition  of  the  faith.  Conven- 
tions of  like  character  have  been  held  by  the  so-called 
Great  Powers  in  recent  years  for  the  partition  of 
China,  of  the  Dark  Continent,  of  Korea.  For  the 
most  part,  however,  they  have  left  Christ  out;  the 
King  who  sits  supreme  over  all. 

In  the  brief  and  inconspicuous  "  convention "  in 
Solomon's  Porch  a  principle  was  laid  down  which  for- 
mulated for  all  time  the  right  relations  of  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  authority.  In  the  proposition,  "  Render 
unto  Caesar  the  things  which  are  Caesar's  and  unto 
God  the  things  which  are  God's,"  the  fact  is  fairly 
stated,  that  Church  and  State  are  co-ordinate  powers ; 
that  they  are  interdependent,  yet  independent  each  of 
the  other,  since  they  proceed  along  distinct  lines ;  that 
they  rest  on  mutual  support  and  are  entitled  to 
loyal  following,  since  both  alike  are  ordained  of 
God. 

The  last  meeting  of  Christ  and  Caesar  was  in  the 
judgment  hall.  "  And  Pilate  saith  unto  Jesus,  Art 
thou  a  king?  He  answered,  Thou  sayest  it;  to  this 
end  was  I  born  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  of  the  truth.  And 
Pilate  brought  Jesus  forth  and  sat  down  in  the  judg- 
ment seat  in  the  place  that  is  called  Gabbatha ;  and  he 
said,  Behold,  your  king!  But  they  cried  out,  Away 
with  him !  away  with  him !  Crucify  him  !  Pilate  saith 
unto  them,  Shall  I  crucify  your  king?  They  answered, 
We  have  no  king  but  Caesar.  Then  delivered  he  him 
unto  them  to  be  crucified.     And  Pilate  wrote  a  title 


16  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

and  put  it  on  the  cross,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King 
of  the  Jews." 

Thus  the  issue  was  fairly  drawn;  they  would  have 
no  king-  but  Caesar.  And  Jesus  submitted.  He  bowed 
his  head  to  the  powers  that  be.  For  three  mortal 
hours,  hung  up  between  heaven  and  earth,  he  bore 
the  shame  and  agony;  then  with  a  fluttering  sigh 
yielded  up  the  ghost. 

Defeat!  Manifest  defeat!  Nay;  he  did  but  stoop 
to  conquer.  Had  he  not  said,  "  Except  a  corn  of  wheat 
fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone ;  but  if  it 
die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit "  ?  Wait.  To-day, 
to-morrow  and  the  day  following,  and  then  he  will  be 
perfected !  He  breaks  the  bands  of  death  and  ascends 
on  high,  taking  captivity  captive.  The  veil  is  drawn 
and,  lo,  yonder  he  sits  upon  his  throne  high  and  lifted 
up,  saying,  "  Fear  not ;  I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was 
dead,  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  forever  more!  "  Alive? 
Aye,  witness  the  nineteen  centuries  of  Christian  prog- 
ress. He  is  alive,  as  no  other  historic  personage  is 
alive,  in  the  councils  of  nations  and  of  men.  As  the 
white  plume  of  Henry  of  Navarre  was  ever  to  be  seen 
in  the  forefront  of  battle,  so  are  the  presence  and 
power  of  Jesus  manifest  in  the  conflicts  of  the  ages. 

And  now  at  the  end  of  the  years  we  stand  again  at 
the  watch-tower  calling,  "  Watchman,  what  of  the 
night?  "  And  the  watchman  answers,  "  The  night  lin- 
gers but  the  shadows  flee  !  " — "  And  what  of  Caesar  ?  " 
— "  An  empty  name !  " — "  What  of  Rome  and  the 
Great  Powers  ?  " — "  One  by  one  they  flourish  and  are 
gone  !  "— "  What  of  the  Church?  "— "  Glorious  things 
of  thee  are  spoken,  Zion,  city  of  our  God !  " — "  And 
what  of  Christ?" — "He  goeth  forth  conquering  and 


THE    CHILD    AND    THE    EMPEROR     17 

to  conquer.  The  head  that  once  was  crowned  with' 
thorns  is  crowned  with  glory  now.  His  kingdom  is 
an  everlasting  kingdom  and  his  dominion  is  forever 
and  ever ! " 

The  end  should  have  been  seen  from  the  beginning. 
It  is  vain  to  fight  against  God.  The  Child  sits  upon 
his  throne  of  power  and  the  hearts  of  the  mighties  are 
in  his  hands  as  the  rivers  of  water.  He  came  to  estab- 
lish his  kingdom  on  earth;  and  he  shall  not  forbear 
until  he  reigns  where'er  the  sun  does  his  successive 
journeys  run. 

It  is  vain  to  array  one's  self  against  manifest  des- 
tiny. It  is  vain  to  cry,  in  the  presence  of  the  great  in- 
vasion of  the  King  of  kings,  "  We  will  not  have  thee 
to  rule  over  us !  "  The  conflict  is  bound  to  be  unequal, 
because  the  decree  went  forth  from  the  beginning  of 
eternity,  "  Thou  art  my  son.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance  and  the  ut- 
termost parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession !  " 

Can  we  read  history  in  the  light  of  the  Incarnation  ? 
If  not,  the  lines  must  be  blurred  before  our  eyes.  The 
logic  of  events  is  as  meaningless  as  were  the  scars  and 
fissures  on  the  rocks  until  a  scientist  came,  saying 
"  Once  upon  a  time  a  glacier  passed  this  way."  So 
the  philosophy  of  history  clears  up  when  men  look 
toward  Bethlehem  and  say,  "  Behold,  the  invasion !  " 
In  the  light  of  that  stupendous  event  we  are  able  not 
only  to  read  old  chronicles,  but  to  discern  the  signs 
of  the  times.  All  the  incidents  of  these  nineteen  cen- 
turies array  themselves  in  lines  converging  toward  the 
final  conquest  of  the  world  by  Christ. 

What  then?  The  part  of  reason  is  manifestly  to 
fall  in  with  the  advance.     The  silver  trumpet  calls. 


18  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

The  Rider  on  the  white  horse  leads  his  militant  host 
to  victory.  Armageddon  is  near.  Gog  and  Magog  to 
the  fray!  It  is  Christ  against  Caesar.  It  is  truth 
against  error.  It  is  light  against  darkness.  It  is  free- 
dom against  tyranny.  It  is  the  Golden  Age  against 
the  dark  ages.  It  is  heaven  against  hell.  Where  do 
we  stand?  Under  what  king,  the  Child  or  the  Em- 
peror? 


II 

THE  YOUTH  AND  THE  DOCTORS 

In  which  a  Boy  of  twelve,  in  the  presence  of  the  most  impor- 
tant body  of  scholars  of  his  time,  shows  himself  to  be 
familiar  with  the  problem  of  problems  and  his  personal 
relation  to  it. 

And  they  found  him  in  the  temple,  sitting  in  the  midst 
of  the  teachers,  both  hearing  them,  and  asking  them 
questions:  and  all  that  heard  him  were  amazed  at  his 
understanding  and  his  answers. 

And  when  they  saw  him,  they  were  astonished;  and 
his  mother  said  unto  him,  Son,  why  hast  thou  thus  dealt 
with  us?  behold,  thy  father  and  I  sought  thee  sorrowing. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me? 
knew  ye  not  that  I  must  be  in  my  Father's  house? 

And  they  understood  not  the  saying  which  he  spake 
unto  them. — Luke  ii,  46-50. 

The  early  life  of  Jesus  is  wrapped  in  mystery.  It 
has  been  called  "  the  great  silence."  His  four  biog- 
raphers are  singularly  agreed  in  omitting  the  entire 
period  between  his  birth  and  ministry,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  single  episode.  It  is  fair  to  presume, 
however,  that  there  was  nothing  extraordinary  in  his 
youthful  development.  The  record  is,  "  He  increased 
in  wisdom  and  stature  and  in  favor  with  God  and 
man."  At  three  years  of  age,  in  accordance  with  cus- 
tom, he  assumed  the  tasseled  robe.  At  five  he  entered 
the  rabbinical  school,  where  the  Scriptures  were  his 
text-book.    At  ten  he  began  the  study  of  theology,  as 

19 


20  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

elucidated  in  the  Mishna,  or  traditional  law.  At 
twelve,  the  climacteric  of  life,  he  became  a  ben-hat- 
torah  or  "  son  of  the  law  " ;  and  was  permitted  to  at- 
tend the  Passover  at  Jerusalem. 

That  was  a  memorable  event  in  the  life  of  this 
Jewish  boy.  The  pilgrims  setting  out  from  Nazareth 
would,  doubtless,  take  occasion  to  join  one  of  the 
many  caravans  wending  their  way,  at  that  time,  to 
the  Holy  City.  As  they  journeyed  they  sang  the 
Psalms  of  Ascent ;  such  as,  "  I  was  glad  when  they 
said  to  me,  Let  us  go  unto  the  house  of  the  Lord ! 
Our  feet  shall  stand  within  thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem. 
Peace  be  within  thy  walls  and  prosperity  within  thy 
palaces !  "  The  heart  of  the  young  pilgrim  must  have 
been  deeply  moved  by  historic  scenes  along  the  way. 
The  land  was  in  its  vernal  beauty;  the  fig-yards  and 
olive-groves  just  coming  into  bloom.  Yonder  was  the 
battle  field  of  Esdraelon;  and,  to  the  East,  Gilboa, 
where  "  the  Philistines  followed  hard  upon  Saul  and 
his  sons."  A  little  further  on  were  the  heights  of 
Bethel,  where  Jacob  dreamed  his  wonderful  dream. 
And  now  they  were  passing  through  the  Vale  of 
Sychar,  "  where  Jacob's  well  was." 

At  length  they  reached  the  summit  of  Olivet;  and 
Jerusalem  was  before  them.  The  gilded  roofs  and 
colonnades  of  the  temple  were  gleaming  in  the  sun. 
The  pilgrims  sang,  "  The  Lord  hath  chosen  Zion !  He 
hath  said,  This  is  my  rest  forever;  here  will  I  dwell, 
for  I  have  desired  it.  I  will  clothe  her  priests  with 
salvation,  and  her  sons  shall  shout  aloud  for  joy ! " 
Then,  crossing  the  Kidron,  they  ascended  the  opposite 
slope  at  evening,  where  probably  Joseph  pitched  his 
tent  outside  the  walls.     The  Paschal  lamb  was  slain 


THE    YOUTH    AND    THE    DOCTORS     21 

on  the  fourteenth  of  Nisan,  and  its  blood  was  sprinkled 
on  the  posts  and  lintels  of  the  tent.  There  were  thou- 
sands of  fires  on  the  hillsides  round  about,  where  mul- 
titudes of  pilgrims  were  celebrating  the  feast.  The 
six  succeeding  days  were  devoted  to  imposing  cere- 
monies in  the  temple;  and  then  the  crowds  began  to 
disperse. 

It  is  not  strange,  when  we  remember  the  confusion 
incident  to  the  departure  of  the  numerous  caravans, 
that  the  absence  of  the  boy  Jesus  was  not  discovered 
at  once:  but  when  Joseph  and  Mary  found  he  was  not 
in  their  company,  they  immediately  returned  to  the 
city  and  discovered  him  "  in  the  temple,  sitting  in  the 
midst  of  the  doctors,  hearing,  questioning  and  answer- 
ing." In  reply  to  his  mother's  gentle  reproof  he  said, 
"  How  is  it  that  ye  sought  me  ?  Wist  ye  not  that  I 
must  be  about  my  Father's  business  ?  "  *  And  it  is 
written,  "  They  understood  not."  But  the  significance 
of  his  words  is  indicated  in  the  statement  that  his 
mother  "  kept  these  sayings  in  her  heart." 

This  is  our  solitary  glimpse  into  the  early  life  of 
Jesus ;  and  it  is  full  of  suggestion.  Let  us  get  the 
picture  before  us.  It  was  probably  in  the  Hall  Gazith ; 
and  in  all  the  world  there  was  no  more  distin- 
guished body  of  scholars  than  those  accustomed  to 
assemble  there.  Of  the  number  were  Annas,  the  high 
priest  and  president  of  the  Sanhedrin ;  Ben  Uzziel,  the 
Targumist  who  wrote  the  Chaldee  Paraphrase ;  Joseph 
of  Arimathea,  a  man  of  wealth  and  character;  Ben 

i  The  Revised  Version,  following  the  Syriac,  renders,  "  in 
my  Father's  house."  This  is  too  narrow  an  interpretation  of 
the  original,  which  is,  literally,  "in  the  things  or  affairs  of 
my  Father." 


22  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

Buta,  who  had  been  blinded  by  Herod  for  his  devotion 
to  the  Jewish  cause ;  Nicodemus ;  the  aged  Hillel, 
and  Shammai,  his  rival ;  and  Gamaliel,  a  professor  in 
the  University  of  Jerusalem,  known  as  "  the  Flower  of 
the  Law."  In  the  midst  of  this  notable  assemblage 
stood  the  boy  of  twelve,  "  hearing,  asking  questions 
and  answering  them." 

No  intimation  is  given  as  to  the  themes  traversed 
in  this  remarkable  conference;  but  we  cannot  go  far 
wrong  in  supposing  that  it  had  to  do  particularly  with 
the  three  supreme  problems  of  life. 

First:  God.  The  men  of  that  circle  were  theologians. 
It  was  their  special  function  as  religious  leaders  of 
Israel  to  make  themselves  familiar  with  what  was  then 
and  is  still  called  "  the  Science  of  God."  At  that  time 
there  were  three  parties  in  the  Sanhedrin,  to  wit,  the 
Pharisees,  or  orthodox  party ;  the  Sadducees,  who 
formed  the  "  liberal  "  or  destructive  school ;  and  the 
Herodians,  who  insisted  on  adjusting  the  national 
faith  and  customs  to  the  demands  of  Rome.  But  how- 
ever these  parties  might  differ  in  detail  and  particular, 
they  were  all  agreed  as  to  the  fundamental  doctrine  of 
Deity.  They  were  monotheists,  stringent  in  their  op- 
position to  idolatry  as  opposed  to  the  worship  of  the 
true  God. 

We  may  imagine  the  boy  Jesus,  listening  to  their 
discourse  on  the  abstract,  self-existent,  immaterial 
One,  and  asking,  "  But  how  may  we  know  that  God 
is?"  To  which  they  would  reply  by  presenting  the 
stock  arguments,  "  ontological,"  "  teleological,"  "  cos- 
mological,"  et  cetera,  in  proof  of  the  divine  existence ; 
for  these  lines  of  evidence  were  practically  as  familiar 
then  as  now.     And  when  lie  asked,  "  Has  God  ever 


THE    YOUTH    AND    THE    DOCTORS     23 

revealed  himself  to  men  ?  "  they  would  open  the  Scrip- 
tures and  turn  to  the  theophanies  and  the  story  of  the 
burning  bush  from  which  he  spake,  saying,  "  I  AM 
THAT  I  AM."  But  the  boy  would  ask  again,  "  Has 
he  ever  bowed  the  heavens  to  come  down,  so  that  men 
could  behold  him  ?  "  And  they  could  only  say,  "  No, 
never.  He  is  the  transcendent,  the  absolute,  the  in- 
visible One." 

And  the  boy  of  twelve  in  their  midst  was  the  incar- 
nate God!  A  miracle?  Yes;  more  wonderful  than 
all  others,  yet  the  one  miracle  necessary  to  the  welfare 
of  man.  Inexplicable?  Yes;  "great  is  the  mystery 
of  godliness,  God  is  manifest  in  flesh ; "  yet  no  more 
inexplicable,  in  its  last  reduction,  than  any  other  di- 
vine work,  as,  for  example,  the  union  of  Matter  and 
Spirit  in  the  human  constitution.  We  gain  nothing  by 
too  close  scrutiny  on  the  one  hand,  or  by  minimizing 
the  mystery  on  the  other.  The  fact  itself  is  so  closely 
interwoven  with  the  fabric  of  the  Scriptures  that  they 
become  as  meaningless  as  the  unintelligible  Oracles  of 
Delphos  unless  we  are  prepared  to  say  that  Christ  is 
"  very  God  of  very  God."  And  just  there  he  meets  the 
necessity  of  the  race.  It  is  not  enough  to  say,  as  the 
Ritschlians  do,  that  the  incarnation  is  merely  a  "  value 
judgment "  and  that  Jesus  is  God  because  to  our  inner 
consciousness  he  answers  the  purposes  of  God.  You 
may  paint  a  picture  of  the  sun  on  a  great  canvas  and 
cover  it  with  radiations  of  gold ;  but  no  night  is  illum- 
inated by  it,  no  flower  blooms  under  it,  no  shivering 
people  warm  themselves  before  it.  Christ  is  not  a 
pictured  sun,  but  the  veritable  Sun  of  Righteousness 
with  healing  in  his  beams.  He  is  "  the  brightness  of 
the  glory  of  God."    The  whole  world  feels  his  warmth ; 


24,  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

in  his  light  we  see  light ;  if  he  lay  his  quickening  hand 
upon  us  we  straightway  cry,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God !  " 

Second:  Man.  Here  is  the  complementary  problem. 
It  was  the  business  of  the  distinguished  Rabbis  in 
Gazith  to  solve  it.  They  were  anthropologists ;  they 
were  familiar  with  metaphysics  and  ethics.  The  two 
schools  of  Hillel  and  Shammai,  opposed  in  many  par- 
ticulars, were  agreed  in  these :  that  man  was  originally 
created  in  the  divine  likeness,  that  he  had  fallen  from 
his  high  estate  through  sin  and  that  his  chief  concern 
is  to  regain  his  forfeited  birthright. 

The  boy  in  their  midst  may  have  been  moved  to 
ask,  "  Has  this  recovery  ever  been  realized?  Is  there 
an  instance  of  one  who  has  so  far  delivered  himself 
from  the  bondage  of  sin  as  to  enter  fully  into  the  in- 
heritance of  God?"  And  what  could  they  say?  If 
they  mentioned  Abraham,  he  would  answer,  "  But  did 
not  the  faith  of  Abraham,  on  occasion,  fail  him  ?"  If 
Noah,  "  Did  he  not  lie  drunken  in  the  entrance  of  his 
tent?  "  If  Moses,  "  Was  he  not  betrayed  by  anger  and 
so  forbidden  to  enter  the  Land  of  Promise?"  If 
David,  "  What  means  this  cry  from  his  closet  on  the 
housetop ;  '  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  according 
to  thy  lovingkindness  and  according  unto  the  multi- 
tude of  thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  my  transgressions ! 
For  I  have  sinned  and  done  evil  in  thy  sight '  ?  "  They 
must  have  admitted  that  never  once  had  there  been  an 
illustration  of  the  Ascent  of  Man.  The  Lord  looked 
down  from  heaven  to  see  if  there  was  any  that  wrought 
righteousness ;  and  he  sadly  said,  "  There  is  none  that 
doeth  good,  no  not  one ! " 

But  the  dream  was  realized  in  this  boy  of  twelve. 
His  birth  was  the  descent  of  God;  his  life  was  the 


THE    YOUTH    AND    THE    DOCTORS     25 

ascent  of  man.  Alone  and  solitary  in  a  world  of  sin- 
ners, he  was  the  Perfect  One.  There  was  no  guile  in 
his  lips,  no  guile  in  his  heart.  The  challenge  of  his 
later  life  was,  "  Who  layeth  anything  to  my  charge?  " 
And  neither  then  nor  during  the  succeeding  centuries 
has  there  been  any  to  accuse  him. 

The  character  of  Jesus  was  as  really  the  result  of 
development  as  is  the  character  of  any  common  man. 
True,  there  was  no  inherent  sin  in  him ;  but  his  cir- 
cumstances were  such  as  to  make  his  conflict  a  very 
real  one.  It  was  one  of  the  purposes  of  his  human 
life  to  show  how  a  man  can  get  the  better  of  his  envi- 
ronment and  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world. 
But  for  this  he  might  have  come  down  from  heaven 
a  mature  and  perfect  man.  The  monk  Tauler,  a  Do- 
minican mystic  who  wrote  five  hundred  years  ago, 
represents  his  advent  in  this  wise : 

There  comes  a  galley  laden, 
A  heavenly  freight  on  board; 

It  bears  God's  Son,  the  Saviour, 
The  great  Undying  Word. 

And  proudly  floats  that  galley, 
From  troubled  coast  to  coast: 

Its  sail  is  love  and  mercy; 
Its  mast,  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Now  earth  hath  caught  the  anchor, 
The  ship  hath  touched  the  strand; 

God's  Word,  in  fleshly  garment, — 
The  Son, — steps  out  on  land! 

But  had  he  appeared  in  such  manner,  he  would  have 
separated  himself  from  all  mankind  by  an  omission  of 


26  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

the  formative  processes  of  life.  In  order  that  he  might 
know  and  sympathize  with  our  upward  struggle,  he 
must  pass  through  it ;  wherefore  it  is  written,  "  He 
grew  in  wisdom  and  in  stature  and  in  favor  with  Go,d 
and  man."  At  every  stage  of  this  development,  how- 
ever, he  was  the  Sinless  One.  His  was  the  develop- 
ment of  a  perfect  nature  limited  by  the  conditions  of  a 
sinful  world.  It  was  like  the  development  of  a  foun- 
tain, which  is  as  perfect  when  it  issues  from  the  rock 
as  when  it  rolls  in  a  torrent  to  the  sea.  Or,  like  that 
of  the  oak,  which  is  as  perfect  when  it  shoots  from  the 
acorn  as  when  it  lifts  its  mighty  arms  to  grapple  with 
the  storm.  Jesus  was  not  hurt  by  his  environment; 
sin  never  touched  him.  As  child,  youth,  man,  he  was 
always  sinless ;  and  thus  he  stands  as  a  perpetual  illus- 
tration of  the  Ascent  of  Man. 

Third:  Reconciliation;  the  reconciliation  of  a  holy 
God  with  sinful  men.  At  this  point  Messiah  enters, 
"  the  hope  of  Israel  " ;  one  hand  clasping  the  hand  of 
God  and  the  other  the  hand  of  man.  The  earliest  of 
Jewish  writers  called  him  "  the  Daysman  " ;  that  is, 
the  Reconciler.  The  prophecy  of  his  coming  runs  un- 
interruptedly through  Holy  Writ.  It  would  be  scarcely 
possible  for  a  company  of  such  learned  Rabbis  as  sat 
in  the  Hall  Gazith  to  refrain  from  discussing  it. 

The  boy  in  their  midst  would  ask,  "  Who  is  this 
Messiah?  When  he  cometh,  how  will  ye  know  him?  " 
And  they  would  answer,  "  He  is  to  be  King  of  Kings, 
'  great  David's  greater  Son.'  In  the  fulness  of  time 
he  will  appear  to  deliver  Israel ;  and  he  will  reign  in 
glory  among  us."  The  boy  would  ask,  "  What  then 
is  the  meaning  of  this  scripture,  '  A  virgin  shall  con- 
ceive and  bear  a  son  and  call  his  name  Immanuel, 


THE    YOUTH    AND    THE    DOCTORS     27 

which  being  interpreted  is,  God  with  us  ' ;  or  of  this, 
'  He  is  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief, 
and  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  him ;  he  is 
wounded  for  our  transgressions  and  bruised  for  our 
iniquities,  that  by  his  stripes  he  may  be  healed ;  or 
what  is  the  meaning  of  your  sacrifices?  Why  is  the 
blood  of  the  Paschal  lamb  sprinkled  on  the  lintel  of 
every  door  and  upon  all  the  sacred  things  of  the 
temple  ?  Why  this  blood,  blood,  blood  everywhere  ?  " 
And  they  could  only  say  in  their  bewilderment,  "  It 
is  written  that  if  a  man  sin  and  bring  a  lamb  without 
spot  or  blemish  to  the  altar,  his  sin  is  taken  from  him." 
But  how  can  the  blood  of  a  lamb  atone  for  sin?  How 
can  it  wash  away  the  crimson  stain?    They  knew  not. 

This  boy  of  twelve  was  their  Messiah ;  and  they 
did  not  recognize  him.  He  was  the  antitype  of  all 
their  sacrifices.  His  was  the  blood  that  should  cleanse 
from  sin.  Was  he  aware  of  his  personality  and  mis- 
sion ?  Aye ;  always.  The  realization  of  his  mission 
began  with  dawning  consciousness.  He  knew  who  he 
was,  whence  he  had  come  and  what  his  errand  was. 
Else  what  did  he  mean  when  he  said  to  his  mother, 
"  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  busi- 
ness ?  "  It  is  true  that,  in  assuming  mortal  form,  he 
"  emptied  himself  "  of  the  outward  tokens  of  his  God- 
hood;  but  never  for  a  moment  in  such  manner  as  to 
become  ignorant  of  his  mission  or  impotent  to  perform 
it.  He  "  laid  his  glory  by,"  but  never  so  that  the 
scepter  was  not  within  reach,  and  never  so  that  the 
shadow  of  the  cross  was  not  over  him. 

He  returned  to  Nazareth  after  this  incident  and  be- 
came an  apprentice  in  Joseph's  shop.  As  the  years 
passed  on,  he  grew  in  stature  and  wisdom  and  in  favor 


28  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

with  God  and  man.  One  day  he  closed  the  door  of  the 
carpenter  shop  and  went  out  into  his  ministry.  Three 
years  later  we  find  him  again  in  the  Hall  Gazith  in  the 
midst  of  the  doctors.  The  old  priest  Annas  is  there, 
grayer  and  more  burdened  with  years ;  and,  as  if 
moved  by  some  strange  apprehension  of  the  truth,  he 
cries,  "  I  adjure  thee  by  the  living  God  that  thou  tell 
us  whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God  ?  "  Jesus  answers,  "  Thou  hast  said.  Hereafter 
ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand 
of  power  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven !  "  Then 
the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes,  and  said,  "  He  hath 
spoken  blasphemy;  what  further  need  have  we  of  wit- 
nesses. What  think  ye?"  His  associates  said,  "He 
is  guilty  of  death." 

And  behold  him  still  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors. 
"  Where  is  the  wise,  where  is  the  disputer  of  this 
world  ?  "  Not  yet  with  all  their  wisdom  have  they 
found  out  God.  He  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  learned 
ones,  "  hearing,  asking,  answering."  And  there  is 
none  but  himself  in  all  the  world  to  explain  the  three 
great  doctrines  of  God  and  man  and  reconciliation. 
None  but  himself  has  ever  answered  or  can  answer 
the  two  questions,  "  How  can  God  be  just  and  the 
justifier  of  the  ungodly?"  and  "How  can  a  man  be 
just  with  God?" 


Ill 

THE    MAN    AND    THE    PEOPLE 

In   which   the   man   of   Nazareth,   being   everybody's    friend, 
gets  an  audience  with  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 

Now  it  came  to  pass,  zvhile  the  multitude  pressed  upon 
him  and  heard  the  word  of  God,  that  he  was  standing  by 
the  lake  of  Gennesaret;  and  he  saw  two  boats  standing 
by  the  lake:  but  the  fishermen  had  gone  out  of  them, 
and  were  washing  their  nets.  And  he  entered  into  one 
of  the  boats,  which  was  Simon's,  and  asked  him  to  put 
out  a  little  from  the  land.  And  he  sat  down  and  taught 
the  multitudes  out  of  the  boat. — Luke  v,  1-3. 

This  Man  was  followed  wherever  he  went  by  all 
sorts  of  people.1  "  The  multitude  pressed  upon  him." 
He  had  no  need  to  resort  to  adventitious  methods  for 
securing  a  congregation.  No  matter  where  he 
preached,  on  the  sea  shore,  at  the  street  corner  or  in 
Solomon's  Porch,  the  people  flocked  to  hear  him. 

Nor  did  they  fail  to  give  him  their  attention.  All 
the  world  knows  that  Paul  was  an  orator;  but  on  a 
certain  occasion,  when  he  was  preaching  at  Joppa, 
one  of  his  hearers  was  overcome  with  sleep.  No  such 
incident  ever  happened,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  under 
the  preaching  of  Jesus.  It  is  written,  "  All  bare  him 
witness,  and  wondered  at  the  gracious  words  which 
proceeded  out  of  his  mouth." 

1  When  it  is  said  "  The  common  people  heard  him  gladly," 
we  are  to  understand  by  the  term  "  people  "  not  the  profanum 
vulgus,  but,  as  in  the  margin,  the  multitude. 


30  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

It  would  be  interesting,  were  it  possible,  to  analyze 
his  singular  power  over  men.  To  say  that  he  pos- 
sessed all  the  elements  of  true  eloquence  such  as  sim- 
plicity, directness,  picturesqueness,  logical  coherence, 
warmth,  earnestness  and  convincing  power,  is  not 
enough.  Here  is  something  beyond  the  homiletic  or 
any  other  art.  You  have,  perhaps,  seen  a  portrait 
wrought  by  a  great  master,  with  eyes  that  had  the 
singular  quality  of  following  you  wherever  you  went. 
A  like  characteristic  we  observe  in  the  teaching  of 
Jesus.  Coleridge  expressed  this  in  the  terms,  "  It  finds 
me."  Indeed,  it  searches  out  and  finds  the  hearts  and 
consciences  of  all.  Jesus  was  not  merely  able  to  sway 
an  audience — others  have  ruled  from  the  throne  of  elo- 
quence— but  his  influence  was  equally  magnetic  in  per- 
sonal conversation.  It  was  distributive,  holding  the 
multitude  because  it  held  every  unit  in  it. 

Were  we  required  to  put  our  hand  on  a  single 
quality  or  characteristic  of  which  we  might  say,  "  This 
accounts  for  it,"  we  should  name  his  intense  human- 
ness.  He  was  called  "  the  Son  of  Man  "  not  only  be- 
cause of  his  representative  relation  to  the  race,  but 
because  he  was  distinctively  and  pre-eminently  a  man 
among  men.  He  was  able  to  address  himself  to  the 
wants  of  the  multitude,  all  and  singular,  by  reason  of 
his  broad  acquaintance  and  sympathy  with  humanity. 
He  was  an  intuitive  and  infallible  psychologist,  since 
"  he  knew  what  was  in  man." 

He  was  everybody's  preacher  because  he  was  every- 
body's friend.  He  stood  on  a  level  with  his  congre- 
gation. He  wore  no  robe  but  homespun ;  he  asked  no 
better  pulpit  than  the  prow  of  a  little  boat  or  a  place  at 
the  corner  of  a  street.     He  touched  men  because  he 


THE    MAN    AND    THE    PEOPLE        31 

was  ever  in  vital  touch  with  them.  And  the  secret  of 
his  unparalleled  power  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  had 
something  to  say,  and  said  it. 

He  had  something  to  say  to  the  poor. 

And  the  poor  of  his  time  were  poor  indeed.  We 
make  a  distinction  between  "  God's  poor "  and  the 
"  devil's  poor."  We  take  a  sympathetic  interest  in  the 
relief  of  such  as  are  thrifty  and  industrious,  but  un- 
fortunate. Our  hearts  go  out  to  those  who  with  their 
best  efforts  find  it  difficult  to  make  both  ends  meet  or 
keep  the  wolf  from  the  door.  But  Jesus  had  a  place 
in  his  heart  for  the  ne'er-do-weels;  for  the  thriftless, 
penniless  and  friendless.  Who  cares  for  these?  For 
the  men  with  sunken  cheeks  and  watery  eyes  who 
shuffle  along  our  streets  ?  For  the  women  whose  faces 
are  sodden  with  drink,  drawing  thin  shawls  around 
their  shivering  shoulders  and  stretching  out  their 
hands  for  alms?  Who  cares  for  the  devil's  poor? 
They  live  forlorn  and  die  unwept.  "  Rattle  his  bones 
over  the  stones;  he's  only  a  pauper  whom  nobody 
owns."  Who  cares  ?  Christ  cares  !  His  heart  is  warm 
with  compassion  for  them,  and  all  the  more  because 
they  have  so  little  pity  on  themselves.  He  hears  their 
helpless  moan,  their  bitter  cry.  Do  you  ask  the  cre- 
dentials of  Jesus  ?  Here  they  are :  "  Go  tell  John  that 
the  blind  receive  their  sight,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers 
are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised,  and 
the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them."  God  be 
praised !  The  meanest  beggar  in  the  world  has  one 
true  friend  who  tells  him  hopefully  that  it  is  never 
too  late  to  mend;  that  though  he  has  squandered  his 
inheritance  and  is  as  poor  as  poverty,  he  may  turn 
around  and  be  rich  toward  God. 


32  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

And  he  had  something  to  say  to  the  rich. 

The  rich  of  his  time  were  very  rich ;  for  the  wealth 
of  the  world  was  then  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  a 
few.  Jesus  did  not  denounce  them  indiscriminately. 
He  respected  the  rights  of  property  and  recognized  the 
fact  that  a  man  may  have  abundant  possessions,  yet  be 
a  righteous  man.  He  was,  however,  no  sycophant. 
He  was  often  entertained  by  persons  of  rank  and  af- 
fluence ;  and  his  table-talk  was  full  of  searching  truths. 
He  warned  his  wealthy  friends  against  avarice,  say- 
ing :  "  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  pass  through  a  needle's 
eye  than  for  a  man  whose  heart  is  set  upon  riches  to 
enter  the  kingdom  of  God."  He  warned  them  against 
the  folly  of  spending  time  and  energy  in  acquiring 
a  mere  modicum  of  yellow  dust,  saying :  "  The  ground 
of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully ;  and 
he  said,  What  shall  I  do,  because  I  have  no  room 
where  to  bestow  my  fruits?  And  he  said,  This  will  I 
do:  I  will  pull  down  my  barns  and  build  greater;  and 
there  will  I  bestow  all  my  fruits  and  my  goods.  And 
I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid 
up  for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink  and  be 
merry.  But  God  said  unto  him,  Thou  fool,  this  night 
thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee:  then  whose  shall 
those  things  be?  "  He  told  them  plainly  that  there  are 
rich  men  in  hell,  saying  of  one  who  had  been  clothed 
in  purple  and  fine  linen  and  had  fared  sumptuously 
every  day,  "  He  lifted  up  his  eyes  being  in  torment." 
He  pointed  out  to  them  clearly  that  it  was  better  to 
part  with  everything  else  than  to  lose  eternal  life: 
"  Go  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  come  and  follow  me." 

He  had  something  to  say  to  workingmen. 

And  he  could  say  it  sympathetically  and  effectively, 


THE    MAN    AND    THE    PEOPLE        33 

because  he  was  himself  a  member  of  the  Third  Estate. 
He  knew  what  it  was  to  shove  the  plane  and  drive  the 
saw  and  wipe  the  perspiration  from  his  face  at  the 
close  of  a  weary  day.  One  word  of  his,  "  The  laborer 
is  worthy  of  his  hire,"  has  in  it  the  ultimate  solution 
of  all  controversies  between  capital  and  labor.  But 
he  knew  the  danger  of  the  shop.  He  knew  the  prone- 
ness  of  the  toiling  class  to  lose  themselves  in  the  sor- 
did routine  of  bread-and-butter  work.  The  truth  of 
Carlyle's  parable  respecting  the  men  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
"  They  made  no  use  of  their  souls  and  so  lost  them ; 
but  they  retained  a  bewildered  and  half  conscious 
reminiscence  of  the  time  when  they  were  men  with 
souls  responsive  to  the  eternal  verities,"  was  uttered 
by  Jesus  in  a  far  more  effective  way.  He  stood,  as  it 
were,  at  the  door  of  the  workshop,  saying,  "  O  men, 
be  in  your  labor,  yet  not  of  it !  Let  not  your  hand-to- 
mouth  struggle  crowd  out  all  nobler  aspirations !  For 
the  life  is  more  than  meat  and  the  body  than  raiment. 
Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air ;  they  sow  not,  neither  do 
they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns ;  yet  your  heavenly 
Father  feedeth  them.  And  consider  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  they  spin  not ;  yet  I 
say  unto  you,  that  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not 
arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore  if  God  so  clothe 
the  grass  of  the  field,  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe 
you,  O  ye  of  little  faith?  Take,  therefore,  no  anxious 
thought  for  the  morrow.  But  seek  ye  first  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you." 

He  had  a  message,  also,  for  the  wise. 

Not  for  the  "  sophoi  " ;  that  is,  those  who  were  wise 
in  their  own  conceit.    The  doctors  came  to  him  with 


34*  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

their  hair-splitting  questions,  and  he  answered  them 
never  a  word.  But  he  had  much  to  say  to  the  "  philo- 
sophoi  " ;  that  is,  such  as  desired  to  be  wise.  He  gave 
them  great  truths  to  ponder  on.  He  spoke  to  Nico- 
demus  of  regeneration,  evoking  the  response,  "  How 
can  these  things  be  ?"  and  having  plainly  announced  the 
mystery,  he  followed  it  with  a  statement  concerning 
the  saving  power  of  the  gospel,  simple  as  a  kinder- 
garten lesson,  "  As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the 
wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life."  If  a  man  is  in  quest  of  sublim- 
ities and  profundities,  he  shall  have  something  to  think 
of;  he  will  find  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus  an  unfathom- 
able ocean  of  truth  rolling  before  him.  If  he  be 
engaged  in  the  earnest  quest  of  truths  that  make  for 
righteousness  and  eternal  life,  he  shall  find  them  there, 
clear  as  the  sun  at  noon-day.  The  Master,  taking  a 
child  upon  his  knee,  said  to  his  hearers,  "  Except  ye 
become  as  this  little  child  " — in  your  attitude  toward 
truth,  in  your  readiness  to  receive  it — "  ye  shall  in  no 
wise  enter  the  kingdom  of  God."  His  doctrine  is, 
indeed,  like  an  ocean,  on  the  shore  of  which  seers 
stand  dreaming  dreams  and  seeing  visions  and  losing 
themselves  in  contemplation  of  its  mysterious  depths, 
while  little  children  play  along  the  edge,  laughing  and 
making  merry,  the  waters  laving  their  feet. 

And  he  had  a  message  for  doubters. 

Nothing  for  defiant  infidels  like  Pilate,  who,  with  a 
curling  of  the  lip,  asked,  "  What  is  truth  ?  "  Not  a 
word  for  boastful  agnostics  who  said,  like  Pliny  the 
elder,  "  There  is  only  one  thing  certain,  to  wit,  that 
there  is  nothing  certain."     His  pearls  of  truth  were 


THE    MAN    AND    THE    PEOPLE        35 

not  scattered  before  such  as  these.  But  for  honest 
doubters,  that  is,  those  who  were  bewildered  at  the 
cross-roads  and  eager  to  know  the  way,  he  had  always 
a  word  of  comfort  and  encouragement.  Every  age  is 
"  an  age  of  doubt " ;  and  there  are  always  those  who, 
having  lost  their  bearings,  long  to  know.  One  such 
went  wandering  into  the  darkness,  after  the  crucifixion 
of  Christ,  like  a  blind  man  groping  along  the  wall. 
Poor  Thomas !  His  best  friend  was  dead,  his  fondest 
hopes  were  crushed.  He  had  heard  in  a  roundabout 
way  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  but  it  was  too  good 
to  believe.  Ah,  how  gladly  would  he  have  believed  it ! 
For  such  as  he,  grieving  by  reason  of  their  doubt 
and  doing  their  very  best  to  be  rid  of  it,  Christ  has 
infinite  consideration.  Then  said  he  unto  Thomas, 
"  Reach  hither  thy  finger  and  behold  my  hands,  and 
reach  hither  thy  hand  and  thrust  it  into  my  side;  and 
be  not  faithless,  but  believing."  O  doubting  friend, 
touch  Jesus !  He  can  be  touched.  To  know  him,  to 
commune  with  him,  is  to  believe.  All  doubts  vanish 
when  the  light  of  his  countenance  shines  upon  us.  And 
Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him,  "  My  Lord  and 
my  God !  " 

And  he  had  much  to  say  to  believers. 

Two  things  in  particular  he  required  of  his  dis- 
ciples ;  namely,  consistency  and  usefulness.  What  a 
high  ideal  of  character  he  set  before  them !  "  Be  ye  per- 
fect." "  Be  ye  holy."  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth ; 
but  if  the  salt  has  lost  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it  be 
salted?  It  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing  but  to  be 
cast  out  and  trodden  under  foot  of  men."  "  Ye  are  the 
light  of  the  world;  let  your  light  so  shine  before  men 
that  they  may  see  your  good  works  and  glorify  God." 


36  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

And  what  frequent  exhortations  to  usefulness !  "  Say 
not,  there  are  yet  four  months  and  then  cometh  the 
harvest.  Lift  up  your  eyes  and  see;  the  fields  are 
white  already  unto  the  harvest !  Thrust  in  your  sickles 
and  reap."  The  Parables  of  the  Barren  Fig-tree,  of  the 
Talents,  of  the  Stumbling-block  and  the  Millstone  are 
all  for  believers.  In  the  teaching  of  Jesus  there  is  not 
a  sentence  to  encourage  the  thought  that  the  chief  end 
of  a  Christian  is  to  secure  his  own  salvation,  or  to 
build  up  personal  character.  The  spirit  of  unselfish- 
ness breathes  through  his  word.  Go  out  after  others. 
"  Give  ye  them  to  eat."  "  Constrain  them  to  come  in." 
"  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me  into  the  world  so  I  send 
you.  Go  ye,  therefore,  into  the  highways  and  hedges 
and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  and  evan- 
gelize. Spend  and  be  spent  for  others,  and  for  the 
glory  of  God."  "  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let 
him  deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me." 

And  most  searching  of  all  was  his  message  to  hypo- 
crites. 

The  word  "  hypocrite  "  is  literally  "  under  a  mask." 
Oh,  how  Jesus  hated  shams!  He  found  the  religious 
leaders  of  his  time  living  under  a  mask.  As  he  stood 
in  the  Temple-court  he  saw  them  ostentatiously  fling 
their  golden  coins  into  the  trumpet-mouth  of  Corban ; 
and  when  a  poor  widow  came  by,  modestly  dropping 
in  her  farthing,  he  said,  "  Behold,  she  hath  given  more 
than  they  all."  He  saw  them  wearing  long  robes,  with 
broad  phylacteries,  and  frontlets  between  their  eyes, 
standing  on  the  corner  of  the  streets,  and  making  long 
prayers  to  be  seen  and  heard  of  men;  whereupon  he 
said,  "  Two  men  went  up  to  the  temple  to  pray ;  the 
one  a  Pharisee  and  the  other  a  Publican.     And  the 


THE    MAN    AND    THE    PEOPLE        37 

Pharisee  prayed  thus  with  himself,  God,  I  thank  thee 
that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are!  But  the  Publican 
stood  afar  off,  not  daring  to  lift  up  so  much  as  his 
eyes  to  heaven,  but  beating  on  his  breast  and  crying, 
God  be  merciful  to  me  the  sinner!  I  say  unto  you, 
This  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than 
the  other."  He  saw  them  offering  their  tithes  of 
garden-herbs  and  observing  fasts,  with  long  faces  ;  and 
he  said,  "  Woe  unto  you  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo- 
crites; ye  are  as  whited  sepulchres,  fair  without,  but 
within  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  all  uncleanness." 
Thus  his  constant  word  was,  "  Be  what  you  seem." 
Be  honest  and  true.  Be  transparent  as  the  light.  Off 
with  your  masks !  Off  with  your  disguises !  God  sees 
you  through  and  through.  All  things  are  naked  and 
open  before  him.  And  to  the  people  he  said,  "  Except 
your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  .no  wise  enter 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

But  sweetest,  tendercst,  most  helpful  was  his  word 
to  the  sorrowing. 

Hear  his  beatitude :  "  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn, 
for  they  shall  be  comforted.  Blessed  are  they  that  are 
persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake;  for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  And  hear  his  invitation :  "  Come 
unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.  Hear  him  saying,  as  he  stands 
beside  an  open  grave :  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life.  He  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead, 
yet  shall  he  live.  And  he  that  liveth  and  believeth  in 
me  shall  never  die."  At  that  time  the  hope  of  immor- 
tality had  grown  thin  and  tenuous,  and  the  bereaved 
were  almost  without  hope.     He  bade  them  lift  their 


38  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

eyes  from  the  open  grave  to  the  open  heavens ;  he  told 
them  of  the  Father's  house,  and  said,  "  I  go  to  prepare 
a  place  for  you."  In  the  light  of  his  teaching,  our 
farewell  to  dying  friends  is  "Auf  ivicdcrsehen."  There 
is  to  be  a  reunion  beyond.     Death  does  not  end  all. 

But  most  of  all,  he  spoke  to  sinners. 

His  enemies  reproached  him  for  being  the  "  friend 
of  sinners."  They  said,  "  He  eateth  with  publicans  and 
sinners."  His  simple  defence  was,  "  I  am  come  to  seek 
and  to  save  the  lost."  He  was  the  incarnation  of  the 
seeking  love  of  God.  His  quest  is  set  forth  in  the 
parable  of  the  woman  with  the  lighted  candle  seeking 
the  lost  coin ;  and  of  the  shepherd  with  lantern  in  hand 
going  out  on  the  dark  mountains  after  the  lost  sheep. 
He  was  not  ashamed  to  converse  with  the  sinful 
woman  of  Samaria  at  high  noon,  though  he  knew  the 
finger  of  every  passer-by  would  be  pointed  at  him.  His 
last  miracle,  as  he  hung  upon  the  cross  in  the  very 
article  of  death,  was  to  save  a  malefactor  who,  grieving 
over  a  misspent  life,  was  paying  the  death  penalty  be- 
side him :  "  To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  para- 
dise !  "  So,  living  and  dying,  he  was  the  friend  of 
sinners.  He  is  mighty  to  save,  even  unto  the  utter- 
most.    He  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sin. 

He  had  one  more  message,  for  hearers;  for  such 
as  have  long  listened  to  his  gospel,  yet  not  heeded  it. 

How  many  there  are  who  remember  the  old,  old 
story  as  it  was  told  them  at  their  mother's  knee.  They 
have  read  their  Bibles  over  and  over  again,  and  have 
seen  the  blood-stained  face  of  Christ  looking  out  upon 
them  from  every  page  of  prophecy  and  chronicle,  and 
have  yet  not  accepted  him.  To  these  and  to  all  whose 
ears  are  dull  of  hearincr  and  whose  hearts  have  been 


THE    MAN    AND    THE    PEOPLE        39 

hardened  by  long  familiarity  with  the  truth,  he  ad- 
dresses this  faithful  admonition :  "  Whosoever  heareth 
these  sayings  of  mine  and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken  him 
unto  a  wise  man  which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock; 
and  the  rains  descended  and  the  floods  came,  and  the 
winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that  house ;  and  it  fell  not ; 
for  it  was  built  upon  a  rock.  And  every  one  that 
heareth  these  sayings  of  mine  and  doeth  them  not, 
shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  who  built  his  house 
upon  the  sand :  and  the  rains  descended,  and  the  floods 
came,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that  house; 
and  it  fell ;  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it." 

These  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  Jesus  was  the 
popular  preacher  of  his  time,  and  so  remains  through 
all  the  ages.  He  knew  the  heart  of  humanity  and  sym- 
pathized with  it.  He  aimed  straight  at  the  consciences 
of  men.  If  he  were  to  return  to-day  and  stand  in  the 
pulpit,  or  preach  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  or  ad- 
dress us  in  personal  conversation,  his  word  would  be 
to  the  same  purport :  "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth  and 
the  life,"  he  would  say,  "  No  man  cometh  unto  the 
Father  but  by  me."  If  men  resist  his  appeal,  it  is  by 
reason  of  fatuity  and  against  the  ultimate  argument 
of  common  sense.  Is  there  any  other  who  speaks 
to  me,  to  you,  to  the  generic  man  as  Jesus  does  ?  "  To 
whom  can  we  go  but  unto  thee,"  asked  Peter,  "  thou 
only  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life  ?  "  Let  those  who 
reject  him  ask  themselves,  "To  whom  else  can  we  go?" 


IV 

THE    PLAN    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN 

In  which  the  Campaign   of  the   Kingdom  begins   with  the 
magical  rule  of  One  plus  One. 

Again  on  the  morrow  John  was  standing,  and  two  of 
his  disciples;  and  he  looked  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  and 
saith,  Behold,  the  Lamb  of  God!  And  the  two  disciples 
heard  him  speak,  and  they  followed  Jesus. 

One  of  the  two  that  heard  John  speak,  and  followed 
him,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother.  He  findeth 
first  his  own  brother  Simon,  and  saith  unto  him,  We 
have  found  the  Messias,  which  is,  being  interpreted,  the 
Christ. 

He  brought  him  unto  Jesus. — John  i,  35-42. 

By  the  bank  of  the  Jordan  stands  the  prophet  of 
the  wilderness,  gaunt,  cadaverous,  clad  in  a  gar- 
ment of  camel's  hair  and  girt  about  the  loins  with  a 
leathern  girdle,  his  eyes  aflame  with  holy  enthusiasm, 
his  voice  lifted  in  the  warning  cry,  "  Repent  ye !  Re- 
pent ye !  For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand." 
The  people  come  flocking  to  hear  him  from  the  towns 
and  villages  near  and  far. 

At  this  time  there  was,  on  every  hand,  a  feeling  that 
the  Messiah  was  about  to  come.  Possibly  this  was  he ! 
But  his  words  were  plain,  "  I  am  not  the  Christ.  I 
am  but  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
Make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord!  For  there 
cometh  One  after  me  whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not 
worthy  to  unloose.     He  shall  baptize  you  with  the 

40 


THE    PLAN    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN      41 

Holy  Ghost  and  fire.  His  fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he 
will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor.  Repent  ye,  there- 
fore, and  bring  forth  fruits  meet  for  repentance.  The 
time  is  at  hand.  Every  valley  shall  be  filled  and 
every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  brought  low;  the 
crooked  shall  be  made  straight  and  the  rough  ways 
shall  be  made  smooth,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  the  sal- 
vation of  God ! " 

One  day  as  he  stood  preaching  thus  at  the  river 
side  he  pointed  to  One  in  the  distance,  saying,  "  Be- 
hold the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world!  This  is  he  of  whom  I  said,  After  me 
cometh  a  Man  which  is  preferred  before  me;  for  he 
was  before  me."  And  immediately  two  of  his  disciples, 
detaching  themselves  from  the  crowd,  followed  Jesus, 
who,  turning,  asked,  "  What  seek  ye  ?  " — "Rabbi,"  they 
answered,  "  where  dwellest  thou  ?  " — He  said,  "  Come 
and  see."  One  of  them,  however,  was  unwilling  to  go 
further  until  he  had  first  found  his  brother  Simon,  to 
whom  he  said,  "  We  have  found  the  Messias  " ;  and  he 
brought  him  to  Jesus.  The  next  day  Philip  of  Beth- 
saida  was  invited  to  follow  Christ;  he  also  sought  his 
friend  Nathanael,  saying,  "  We  have  found  him  of 
whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  prophets  did  write ! "  On 
his  explaining  that  it  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  his  friend 
exclaimed  incredulously,  "  Can  there  any  good  thing 
come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  "  to  which  he  answered,  "Come 
and  see."    And  he  brought  him  to  Jesus. 

So  runs  the  story  of  the  beginning  of  the  Church. 
Coming  and  bringing!  One  coming  to  Christ  and 
bringing  another  to  him.  Thus  was  formed  the  little 
group  which  was  destined  to  be  the  nucleus  of  an  or- 
ganization   of    hundreds    of    millions.    Coming    and 


42  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

bringing  I  It  is  the  watchword  of  the  propaganda. 
This  is  the  magical  rule  of  two, — one  and  another, — 
by  which  the  world  is  to  be  restored  to  God. 

We  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  John  the  Baptist  and 
of  all  the  evangelists  of  the  ages  in  saying,  "  Come  to 
Jesus."  There  are  those  who  insist  that  the  invitation 
is  quite  out  of  date.  "  The  time  is  past,"  they  say, 
"  when  men  can  be  frightened  into  repentance  by  the 
fear  of  hell,  or  brought  to  righteousness  by  the  affir- 
mation that  Christ  alone  can  save."  We  are  advised 
that  "  the  revival  of  the  future,"  when  it  comes,  will 
not  be  along  the  old  lines  of  solicitude  for  individuals, 
but  will  aim  rather  at  "  social  regeneration."  Its  gos- 
pel will  be  a  purely  ethical  gospel,  in  which  men  will 
be  invited  not  to  "  come  to  Jesus,"  but  to  turn  over  a 
new  leaf.  But  the  method  of  Christ  himself  is  good 
enough  for  us  and  for  all  who  follow  him. 

The  invitation  will  not  be  out  of  date  until  the  Bible 
is  out  of  date;  for  the  Bible  perpetually  rings  the 
changes  on  it.  In  the  midst  of  the  Old  Testament 
stands  One,  like  a  huckster  at  the  corner  of  the  streets, 
vending  the  wares  of  eternal  life,  crying,  "  Ho,  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters ;  and  he  that 
hath  no  money,  come  ye,  buy  and  eat ;  yea,  come,  buy 
wine  and  milk  without  money  and  without  price !  " 
And  in  the  midst  of  the  New  Testament  stands  An- 
other, nay,  the  very  Same,  crying,  "  If  any  man  thirst, 
let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink;  and  the  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  spring- 
ing up  unto  everlasting  life !  " 

The  call  of  the  Evangel  will  not  be  out  of  date  until 
our  hymn  books,  also,  are  obsolete ;  for  this  is  their 
constant  refrain.     In  the  revival  of  fifty  years  ago, 


THE    PLAN    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN      43 

when  multitudes  were  in  the  Valley  of  Decision  and 
thousands  on  thousands  were  made  prisoners  of  hope, 
the  song  was, 

Come  to  the  Lord  and  seek  salvation; 

Sound  the  praise  of  his  dear  name; 
Glory,   honor   and   redemption; 

Christ  the  Lord  has  come  to  reign! 

In  the  earlier  revival  under  the  searching  preaching  of 
Finney  and  his  contemporaries,  who  declared  the  same 
gospel  of  repentance  and  faith,  the  great  assemblages 
were  swept  along  by  such  hymns  as, 

Come,  ye  sinners  poor  and  needy, 
Weak  and  wounded,  sick  and  sore! 
Jesus   ready   stands   to   save   you, 
Full  of  pity,  love  and  power. 
He  is  able,  he  is  willing; 
Doubt  no  more ! 

The  preaching  of  Moody,  the  old-fashioned  presenta- 
tion of  the  gospel  of  repentance  and  faith,  on  which 
were  placed  the  most  unmistakable  evidences  of  the 
divine  approval,  was  accompanied  by  the  singing  of 
such  persuasive  songs  as, 

Come  to  Jesus,  come  to  Jesus, 
Come  to  Jesus  just  now! 
He  will  save  you,  he  will  save  you, 
He  will  save  you  just  now: 


and 


Come  to  the  Saviour,  make  no  delay; 
Here  in  his  Word  he's  shown  us  the  way; 
Here  in  his  courts  he's  standing  to-day, 
Tenderly  saying,  Come ! 


44  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

All  pastors  and  evangelists  who  have  been  efficient 
in  seasons  of  ingathering  will  bear  witness  to  the 
power  of  Philip's  word,  "  Come  and  see !  "  Let  the 
sound  of  going  be  heard  in  the  tops  of  the  mulberry 
trees,  or  the  Pentecostal  sound  of  the  rushing  mighty 
wind,  and  all  theories  and  speculations  as  to  the  how 
and  wherefore  of  revival  methods  give  place  to  the 
old  invitation,  "  Come  to  Jesus."  And  when  sinners 
turn  from  the  error  of  their  ways  and  fall  in  with  the 
overtures  of  divine  grace,  they  tell  their  new-found 
hope  and  gratitude  in  this  wise: 

Just  as  I  am,  Thy  love  unknown 
Has  broken  every  barrier  down: 
Now,  to  be  thine,  yea,  Thine  alone, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come! 

Out  of  date  ?  Oh,  no ;  not  until  sin  and  its  penalty 
are  out  of  date :  "  Come  now,  saith  the  Lord,  and  let 
us  reason  together;  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet, 
they  shall  be  white  as  snow;  though  they  be  red  like 
crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool." 

Not  until  sorrow  is  out  of  date :  "  Come  unto  me  all 
ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you 
rest." 

Not  until  salvation  is  out  of  date :  "  Seek  ye  the 
Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  call  ye  upon  him  while 
he  is  near.  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way  and  the 
unrighteous  man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto 
the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him;  and  to 
our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  pardon." 

Not  until  heaven  is  out  of  date :  "  I  am  the  way,  the 
truth  and  the  life,"  said  Jesus ;  "  no  man  cometh  unto 
the   Father  but  by  me."     The   celestial   courts   are 


THE    PLAN    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN      45 

thronged  with  redeemed  sinners,  and  there  is  not  one 
among  them  who  does  not  wear  the  "  fine  linen,  clean 
and  white  "  of  Christ's  imputed  righteousness  and  join 
in  the  anthem,  "  Worthy  art  thou  to  receive  honor  and 
glory  and  power  and  dominion ;  for  thou  wast  slain 
and  hast  redeemed  us  by  thy  blood  out  of  every  tongue 
and  kindred  and  people  and  nation,  and  hast  made  us 
to  be  kings  and  priests  unto  God ! " 

So  then  we  preach  the  old  gospel  of  invitation. 
Science  and  philosophy  have  ruled  out  many  of  the 
customs  of  the  past  and  devised  new  applications  of 
energy  and  new  methods  of  thought;  but  they  have 
not  improved  upon  the  original  plan  of  salvation. 
They  have  discovered  no  new  gospel  to  live  and 
die  by. 

One  of  the  survivors  of  the  ill-fated  expedition 
which  set  out  recently  to  explore  Labrador  has 
returned  with  a  pathetic  story.  It  appears  that  on 
reaching  their  destination  they  plunged  into  the  in- 
terior with  an  inadequate  supply  of  provisions.  As 
time  passed  the  horrors  of  starvation  stared  them  in 
the  face,  until  they  were  driven  to  eating  their  moc- 
casins and  cowhide  mittens  and  mouldy  scrapings  of 
flour  bags.  At  length,  growing  weaker  and  weaker, 
they  threw  away  their  sextant,  camp  equipments  and 
everything  that  could  be  dispensed  with;  but  they 
kept  a  treasured  copy  of  the  Bible.  Finally,  two  of 
them  came  staggering  to  a  friendly  cliff  against  which 
they  pitched  their  tent.  One  of  these  being  able  to 
go  no  further,  the  other  kindled  a  fire  against  the  face 
of  the  rock  where  it  would  cast  its  grateful  warmth 
over  his  companion,  then  sat  down  beside  him  and 
read  the  Fourteenth  Chapter  of  John :  "  Let  not  your 


46  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

heart  be  troubled.  Peace  I  leave  with  you ;  my  peace 
I  give  unto  you."  Then  he  turned  away,  lacking  the 
courage  to  say  farewell,  and  started  out  upon  a  futile 
quest  for  help.  On  returning  some  days  later  he 
found  poor  Hubbard  sitting  against  the  face  of  the 
rock,  dead,  with  the  Bible  and  his  diary  beside  him. 
In  the  diary  he  had  written,  "  I  think  the  boys  will 
be  able,  with  the  Lord's  help,  to  save  me. — I  am  pre- 
pared; that  is  all."  So  long  as  the  gospel  can  show 
its  effectiveness  in  such  circumstances,  and  until  we 
are  shown  another  Book,  another  gospel  and  another 
Christ  to  help  us,  we  are  bound  to  keep  on  saying, 
"  Come  to  Jesus !  He  is  a  help  to  the  poor  and  needy 
in  his  distress,  a  refuge  from  the  storm  and  a  shadow 
from  the  heat,  when  the  blast  of  the  terrible  ones  is 
as  a  storm  against  the  wall." 

But  coming  to  Christ  is  not  all ;  it  is  only  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Christian  life.  When  a  man  has  made  the 
first  step  of  a  journey  he  leaves  that  step  behind  him 
and  goes  trudging  on.  So  when  one  has  come  to 
Jesus  for  salvation  that  ends  his  "  coming."  He  has 
taken  the  hand  of  a  faithful  guide  who  has  promised 
to  bear  him  company  to  the  journey's  end. 

All  the  rest  is  Bringing.  Andrew  goes  out  and 
brings  his  brother  Simon.  Philip  goes  out  and  brings 
his  friend  Nathanael.  This  is  the  harvesting  of  the 
kingdom.  This  is  the  service  of  those  who  follow 
Christ :  "  Go  ye  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges  and 
constrain  them  to  come  in." 

If  it  be  asked,  "  Why  should  I  spend  my  life  in 
this  manner  ?  "  we  answer,  All  the  motives  that  can 
appeal  to  thoughtful  men  are  applicable  here.  The 
motives  are  three;  let  us  begin  with  the  lowest. 


THE    PLAN    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN      47 

The  first  and  lowest  is  Self-interest. 

We  seek  our  personal  salvation.  This  is  completely 
gained  in  one  final  and  comprehensive  act  of  self-sur- 
render. If  we  ask  "  assurance,"  we  shall  find  it  not 
by  working  in  upon  ourselves  or  seeking  by  sheer 
introactive  effort  to  deepen  our  spiritual  life,  but  by 
serving  faithfully  in  the  lines  which  our  Master  has 
marked  out  for  us.  The  assurance  of  faith,  which  is 
the  secret  of  a  happy  life,  comes  not  to  those  who  sit 
down  disconsolately  to  examine  themselves  and  better 
their  condition  by  a  dead  lift  of  longing,  but  to  those 
who  go  into  the  yellow  field,  thrust  in  the  sickle  and 
reap  beside  their  Lord. 

A  traveller,  lost  on  a  bleak  western  prairie  in  the 
deepening  twilight,  felt  himself  yielding  more  and 
more  to  a  drowsiness  which  meant  certain  death.  He 
bravely  resisted,  struggled  on,  felt  his  eyelids  closing 
down  and  his  limbs  growing  numb,  when  suddenly  he 
stumbled  over  something  in  the  way.  It  was  the  body 
of  a  man.  Dead?  He  stooped  over  him.  The  pulse 
still  fluttered,  the  flesh  was  warm.  He  chafed  him, 
gathered  him  up  in  his  arms,  and,  seeing  a  light  in  the 
distance,  struggled  on  with  his  burden  toward  it.  He 
was  weary,  the  perspiration  stood  upon  his  face,  but  he 
must  hold  out.  It  meant  life  or  death.  At  length  he 
staggered  with  his  burden  across  the  threshold  of  a 
farmhouse.  Saved !  Saved  in  saving  the  other  man ! 
Ah,  there  are  multitudes  who  come  up  to  heaven's 
gate,  wearied  in  like  self-denying  and  self-forgetful 
service,  and  have  an  abundant  salvation  ministered 
unto  them. 

The  happiest  man  that  ever  lived  was  the  One  who 
most  forgot  himself  in  thinking  of  others.    What  was 


48  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

he  doing  at  Sychar?  A  woman  was  there  athirst  for 
the  living  water,  and  he  had  come  through  the  scorch- 
ing sun  to  give  her  the  draught  which  alone  could  sat- 
isfy her  need.  What  was  he  doing  in  the  porches  at 
Bethesda  ?  Here  were  the  lame,  the  halt  and  withered ; 
he  had  come  to  heal  them.  What  was  he  doing  yonder 
at  Gadara  beyond  the  lake?  A  maniac  was  there 
dwelling  among  the  tombs ;  he  had  come  to  dispossess 
him  of  the  Evil  One.  So  he  journeyed  hither  and  yon, 
on  errands  of  mercy,  thinking  of  all  but  himself.  And 
why  is  he  climbing  Calvary  with  the  cross  upon  him? 
He  has  assumed  the  burden  of  the  world's  sin  and 
will  bear  it  in  his  body  on  the  tree.  Thus  he  empties 
himself,  makes  himself  of  no  reputation,  forgets  him- 
self in  our  behalf.  And  in  this  he  finds  his  happiness ; 
"  he  sees  of  the  fruit  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  is 
satisfied."  Let  the  mind  which  was  in  Christ  Jesus 
be  also  in  us. 

The  second  motive  is  Benevolence. 

The  world's  aphorism  is,  "  Look  out  for  number 
one  " ;  but  the  philosophy  of  a  Christian  has  to  do  with 
number  two.  It  teaches  us  to  be  a  neighbor  to  every 
man.  The  initial  step  of  the  Christian  life  is  out  of 
self.  "  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,"  said  Jesus, 
"  let  him  deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross  and  follow 
me."  To  follow  Christ  is  to  tread  in  his  footsteps; 
and  his  footsteps  lead  to  the  places  where  the  suffer- 
ing cry  for  help.  The  utmost  weight  of  emphasis  is 
placed  on  this  duty  by  the  fact  that  Jesus  is  pleased  to 
identify  himself  with  those  who  thus  appeal  to  us. 

A  Russian  legend  tells  of  a  poor  serf  who  on  a  bitter 
night  passed  a  soldier  on  guard  whose  teeth  were 
chattering  with  cold.     "  Man,"  said  he,  "  you  shiver, 


THE    PLAN    OF    THE    CAMPAIGN      49 

you  are  freezing :  take  my  coat,"  and  therewith,  throw- 
ing his  greatcoat  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  sentry, 
he  passed  on.  Long  after,  the  serf  came  up  to  heaven's 
gate,  and  looked  to  see  his  Lord  clad  in  royal  garb. 
He  found  him  at  last,  but  not  arrayed  in  splendid 
garments,  as  he  had  expected.  "  Master,"  he  said, 
"  thou  wearest  my  coat." — "  Aye,"  said  Jesus,  "  I 
have  worn  it  ever  since  thou  gavest  it  me  that  cold 
night." — There  is  truth  in  this  legend;  for  did  not 
the  Master  himself  say,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done 
it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me  "  ? 

The  third  motive,  and  the  highest,  is  Piety. 

It  is  a  true  saying,  "  The  chief  end  of  man  is  to 
glorify  God."  We  are  created  in  his  likeness,  and 
we  regain  our  lost  estate  only  by  returning  to  him. 
"  This  is  life  eternal,  to  know  God."  But  how  shall 
we  know  him,  and  how  shall  we  return  to  him,  and 
how  shall  we  lose  ourselves  in  him?  In  the  Brahman 
religion  the  highest  degree  of  virtue  is  Apavarga, 
that  is,  "  to  be  swallowed  up  in  Brahm."  The  devotee 
sits  all  day  long,  indifferent  to  the  world  about  him, 
lost  in  meditation.  Ask  him  what  he  is  doing:  and 
he  will  tell  you  that  he  is  sinking  his  personality  in 
the  Ineffable  One.  There  is  beneath  this  pagan  con- 
ception a  profound  and  glorious  truth.  The  highest 
attainment  possible  to  a  human  soul  is  to  lose  itself 
in  God ;  not,  however,  by  any  pantheistic  surrender  of 
personality,  not  in  any  subjective  process  of  sentimen- 
tal reflection,  but  in  the  complete  blending  of  the 
human  with  the  divine  will ;  in  an  entire  surrender  of 
personal  ambition  to  the  divine  plan  of  salvation. 

God  is  at  work  in  the  world.    His  great  purpose  is 


50  CHRIST   AND    MEN 

to  save  the  children  of  men.  In  pursuance  of  this 
plan  his  only-begotten  Son  came  into  the  world  to 
suffer  and  die  for  us.  He  never  forgot  his  errand. 
In  his  boyhood  he  said,  "  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be 
about  my  Father's  business?"  and,  later  on,  he  said, 
"  My  father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work."  What 
was  he  doing?  Seeking  and  saving  the  lost.  In  his 
passion  his  hands  were  stretched  out  to  the  children 
of  men.  And  he  invites  his  followers  to  participate 
in  his  glory  by  co-operating  in  this  work.  "  As  the 
Father  sent  me  into  the  world,"  he  said,  "  so  send  I 
you.  Go  ye,  therefore ;  bring  them  in ! "  At  this 
point  manhood  reaches  its  highest  level.  Here  we 
regain  our  lost  inheritance;  here  we  lose  ourselves  in 
the  Infinite;  here  we  devote  our  lives  to  his  service 
and  become  partakers  of  the  glory  of  God. 

Is  it  not  singular,  in  view  of  such  considerations, 
that  any  of  those  who  profess  to  follow  Christ  should 
stand  in  the  market-place  with  folded  hands  ?  "  Alas 
for  the  rarity  of  Christian  charity  under  the  sun." 

The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we 
are  glad.  We  have  the  Bible;  we  have  the  Gospel; 
we  have  Christ.  The  light  of  the  cross  streams  over 
us.  And  all  around  us  are  friends  and  kinsfolk  still 
in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  Oh,  let  us  run 
with  the  message,  "  Come  to  Jesus !  "  We  have  the 
hope  of  heaven ;  the  windows  are  open  above  us ;  the 
call  to  the  marriage  supper  falls  upon  our  ears.  The 
leper  of  Samaria  said  to  his  fellows,  when  they  had 
feasted  full  in  the  Syrian  camp,  "  My  brethren,  we 
do  not  well ;  this  day  is  a  day  of  good  tidings  and  we 
hold  our  peace."  Oh,  let  us  tell  the  besieged  and 
famishing  that  the  siege  is  lifted,  that  the  drought  is 


THE    PLAN    OF.    THE    CAMPAIGN      51 

past  and  God's  dew  and  rain  are  falling-  down !  My 
brethren,  we  do  not  well.  We  have  eaten  at  the 
King's  table;  we  have  refreshed  ourselves  with  his 
grapes  and  pomegranates,  his  sacramental  bread  and 
wine.  And,  behold,  there  is  enough  in  the  Father's 
house  for  all;  enough  and  to  spare!  Let  us  go  out 
and  bring  them  in. 


V 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  A  CREED 

In  which  a  man  born  blind  comes  into  touch  with  Jesus  and 
receives  his  sight,  and  something  more. 

Jesus,  to  a  man  born  blind:  "Go  wash  in  the  Pool 
of  Siloam."    And  he  went  and  came  seeing. 

The  Man's  Neighbors:  "How  were  thine  eyes 
opened?" 

The  Man :  "  One  that  is  called  Jesus  made  clay  and 
anointed  mine  eyes  and  said  '  Go  wash  in  the  Pool  of 
Siloam: '    So  I  went  away  and  washed  and  came  seeing." 

Pharisees:     "How  didst   thou   receive   thy  sight?" 

The  Man:  "He  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I  washed 
and  I  see." 

Pharisees:  "Give  glory  to  God;  we  know  that  this 
man  is  a  sinner." 

The  Man:  "Whether  he  is  a  sinner  I  know  not:  one 
thing  I  know,  that,  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see." 

Pharisees:  "  What  did  he  to  thee?  How  opened  he 
thine  eyes?" 

The  Man:  "I  told  you  even  now,  and  ye  did  not  hear; 
therefore  would  ye  hear  it  again?  Would  ye  also  become 
his  disciples?" 

Pharisees:  "  Thou  art  his  disciple;  but  we  are  dis- 
ciples of  Moses.  We  know  that  God  hath  spoken  unto 
Moses,  but  as  for  this  man  we  know  not  whence  he  is." 

The  Man:  "  Why,  herein  is  a  wonderful  thing,  that 
ye  know  not  whence  he  is,  and  yet  he  opened  mine  eyes. 
We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners;  but  if  any  man 
be  a  worshipper  of  God  and  do  his  will,  him  he  heareth. 
Since  the  world  began  it  was  never  heard  that  anyone 
opened  the  eyes  of  a  man  born  blind.  If  this  man  were 
not  from  God  he  could  do  nothing." 

52 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    A    CREED       53 

Pharisees:  "  Thou  wast  altogether  born  in  sins,  and 
dost  thou  teach  us."    And  they  cast  him  out. 

Jesus,  having  found  the  man,  "Dost  thou  believe  on  the 
Son  of  God?  " 

The  Man:  "And  who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  may  believe 
on  him?" 

Jesus:  "  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  he  it  is  that 
speaketh  zvitli  tlicc." 

The  Man:  "Lord,  I  believe!"  And  he  worshipped 
him. — John  ix,  1-38. 

A  man  without  a  creed  is  a  pitiable  creature.  No 
one  can  have  confidence  in  him.  Would  you  patronize 
a  tradesman  who  did  not  believe  in  sixteen  ounces  to 
the  pound  and  in  paying  his  obligations  when  they 
fell  due?  Or  would  you  vote  for  a  candidate  who  had 
no  convictions  as  to  political  morality  and  did  not 
know  whether  public  office  is  a  "  graft  "  or  a  public 
trust?  But  if  a  well-formulated  code  of  principles  is 
important  in  trade  or  politics,  how  much  more  in  the 
province  of  religion,  which  has  to  do  with  the  mo- 
mentous issues  of  eternal  life? 

If  ever  a  man  could  be  excused  for  having  no 
definite  opinions  in  these  premises,  it  was  the  blind 
beggar  at  the  gate.  He  lived  apart  in  a  world  of 
darkness,  addressing  himself  to  the  difficult  problem 
of  making  both  ends  meet.  He  seems,  however,  to 
have  had  certain  clear-cut  views  of  God  and  of  the 
supernatural.  He  had  heard  of  Jesus,  moreover,  as  a 
great  teacher  and  wonder-worker;  but  no  occasion 
had  arisen  for  formulating  an  opinion  as  yet.  Never- 
theless, as  events  were  destined  to  prove,  he  was  ready 
to  accept  the  truth  when  it  should  dawn  upon  him. 
The  good  God  always  comes  out  to  meet  such  a  man 
while  he  is  yet  a  great  way  off. 


54  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

"  And  as  Jesus  passed  by  he  saw  him."  How  brief 
and  simple  the  statement;  yet  what  issues  were  in- 
volved in  it !  The  disciples,  it  appears,  were  discuss- 
ing the  beggar's  case  from  a  theological  standpoint, 
the  question  being,  Who  had  sinned,  this  man  or  his 
parents,  that  he  was  born  blind?  We  note  three  dif- 
ferent views.  Some  of  them  regarded  the  beggar  as 
a  notorious  instance  of  heredity.  His  ancestors  had 
eaten  sour  grapes  and  his  teeth  were  set  on  edge.  To 
others  he  was  an  object  of  just  retribution.  "  Be  not 
deceived ;  God  is  not  mocked ;  whatsoever  a  man 
soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap."  But  Jesus  waved 
both  views  aside,  saying,  "  This  man  is  a  candidate 
for  divine  mercy;  the  works  of  God  shall  be  made 
manifest  in  him."  Thereupon  he  spat  on  the  ground 
and  made  clay,  with  which  he  anointed  the  eyes  of 
the  blind  man,  saying  "  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of 
Siloam."  And  he  went  and  came  seeing.  As  we 
proceed  with  the  narrative  it  will  become  more  and 
more  obvious  that  the  man's  blindness  was  really  a 
blessing  in  disguise,  since  it  brought  him  into  the  clear 
light  of  truth  and  the  mercy  of  God. 

"  Blest   be   the   sorrow,   kind   the   storm 
That  drives  us  nearer  home ! " 

But  then  the  trouble  began.  The  man  was  im- 
mediately put  under  inquisition  by  his  friends  and 
neighbors,  who  were  overwhelmed  with  wonder  and 
curiosity,  and  by  the  rabbinical  leaders,  who  found 
here  a  new  bone  of  contention.  The  question  as  to  the 
stupendous  claims  of  Jesus  was  sufficiently  vexed  al- 
ready without  this  addition  of  fuel  to  the  fire.  The 
man  was  summoned  before  them  and  interrogated  to 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    A    CREED       55 

little  effect.  He  showed  himself  a  clever  dialectician ; 
but  as  to  the  miracle,  he  knew  as  little  as  they  about 
it.  The  case  is  chiefly  interesting  because  it  marks 
the  progress  of  a  man  groping  his  way  toward  truth, 
free  from  prejudice,  obedient  to  the  leadings  of  a 
kind  Providence  and  willing  to  go  wherever  the  in- 
creasing light  should  lead  him. 

The  first  question  which  arose  was  naturally  as  to 
the  man's  identity.  On  this  point  there  was  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion,  some  saying,  "  This  is  he "  and 
others,  "  This  is  like  him ; "  but,  he  himself,  being  in 
a  position  to  give  the  casting  vote,  said,  "  I  am  he." 
So  at  the  outset,  there  was  something  the  man  knew ; 
and  this  is  important  as  emphasizing  the  fact  that  one 
in  quest  of  a  creed  must  have  a  starting-point.  He 
must  be  able  to  lay  his  hand  upon  something  and  say, 
"  This  I  know."  However  small  and  apparently  in- 
significant this  something  may  be,  it  may,  like  the 
broken  oar  that  drifted  eastward  to  the  Spanish  coast, 
lead  to  the  discovery  of  a  new  world.  The  A  of  this 
blind  man's  alphabet  is,  "  I  am  he."  It  is,  as  Decartes 
indicates  in  his  philosophy,  a  matter  of  tremendous 
importance  that  a  man  should  be  able  to  say,  "  I  am 
myself,"  since  this  is  the  shibboleth  of  self-conscious- 
ness. Just  here  man  is  distinguished  from  all  the 
lower  orders  of  life :  as  Pascal  says,  "  The  universe 
may  be  bulkier  than  I  am,  yet  am  I  the  greater ;  since 
if  the  universe  crush  me  it  knows  nothing,  while  I 
know  what  happens  and  what  does  it." 

The  beggar  knew,  furthermore,  that  he  had  been 
blind.  This  is  his  second  step  toward  a  definite  faith. 
He  was  not  likely  to  forget  the  long  unbroken  night 
in  which  he  had  lived  thus  far. 


56  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

"  O  dark,  dark,  dark,  amid  the  blaze  of  noon ; 
Irrevocably   dark,   total   eclipse, 
Without  all  hope  of  day ! " 

On  analysis  this  will  appear  to  be  a  great  advance 
on  mere  self-consciousness.  It  marks  the  continuity 
of  life.  A  Corporal  of  the  Old  Guard  sits  in  the  village 
inn  with  a  group  of  gossips  about  him.  "  It  was 
twenty  years  ago,"  he  says,  "  when  we  charged  up  the 
hill  against  the  British  troops.  There  I  received  this 
sabre  wound  upon  my  cheek."  But  the  horse  he  rode 
in  that  fierce  charge,  long  turned  out  to  pasture,  does 
not  dwell  upon  the  memory  of  Waterloo.  So  much 
is  a  man  better  than  a  horse.  He  who  can  link  the 
past  with  the  present  can  also  link  the  future  with  it. 
To  remember  is  to  hope.  Thus  the  backward  look 
is  proof  of  immortality.  If  it  be  true,  as  scientists  say, 
that  the  chemical  factors  of  our  physical  constitution 
are  completely  changed  in  a  cycle  of  seven  years,  how 
could  the  old  Corporal  recall  the  events  of  three  cycles 
past  were  it  not  that  the  tenant  is  superior  to  the 
house  ?  So  Paul  says,  "  We  know  that  if  our  earthly 
house  of  this  tabernacle  be  dissolved,  we  have  a  house 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  Death 
is  but  a  line  of  shadow  falling  across  our  path:  we 
cross  it  and  go  living  right  on. 

The  third  step  in  the  blind  man's  progress  is  his 
affirmation  "  Now  I  see."  His  words  are  "  One  thing 
I  know,  that,  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see."  It  is 
clear,  however,  that  this  one  thing  is  really  complex, 
including  his  knowledge  of  the  "  I,"  the  past  blindness 
and  the  restored  sight.  There  could  be  no  mistake 
about  his  seeing  now.  Yonder  was  the  blue  sky ;  here 
the  shining  dome  of  the  temple ;  there  the  green  slopes 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    A    CREED       57 

of  Olivet  and  the  purple  vineyards ;  and  close  to  him 
were  the  perplexed  but  kindly  faces  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors.     There  could  be  no  question  about  it. 

But  it  is  a  mistake  to  say  that  the  blind  man's 
"  creed "  was  comprehended  in  these  words, 
"  Whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see.  "  The  results  of 
personal  experience  do  not  furnish  a  sufficient 
groundwork  for  the  spiritual  life.  Faith  must  go 
beyond  experience.  The  assurance  of  pardon  is  not 
the  sum  total,  but  only  the  beginning  of  salvation. 
Of  course  a  Christian  should  be  able  to  say, 
"  Whereas  I  was  once  blind,  now  I  see  " ;  but  alas 
for  him  if  this  is  his  whole  Confession  of  Faith. 

You  may  hear  it  in  the  "  experience  meetings." 
of  the  church ;  the  story  of  conversion  and  the 
song  of  gratitude.  "  Oh,  happy  day  that  fixed  my 
choice  on  thee,  my  Saviour  and  my  God."  But  it  is 
not  enough.  Shall  the  fortunate  sailors  who  have 
made  their  way  from  the  shipwreck  to  the  shore  stand 
crying,  "  We  are  saved !  We  are  saved !  "  or  shall  they 
not  rather  heed  the  demands  of  duty  in  behalf  of  those 
who  are  still  clinging  to  the  shrouds  or  drifting  on 
broken  spars?  The  assurance  of  pardon  is  but  a 
meagre  and  inadequate  creed  for  those  who  justly  ap- 
prehend the  full  significance  of  the  higher  life. 

The  next  step  taken  by  the  blind  man  leads  him 
distinctly  nearer  the  truth.  He  knows  there  has  been 
a  miracle  in  his  case ;  and  protests  to  the  Pharisees 
that  it  is  a  marvellous  thing  that  they  should  be  unable 
to  account  for  it.  He  reminds  them  that  since  the 
world  began  there  had  been  no  such  healing  of  con- 
genital blindness.  The  "  marvellous  thing  "  is  a  mir- 
acle ;  a  miracle  is  simply  the  interposition  of  the  super- 


58  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

natural  in  the  routine  of  current  events;  it  is  the 
making  bare  and  thrusting  in  of  the  divine  arm. 

"But  how,"  they  ask,  "were  thine  eyes  opened?" 
Once,  twice,  thrice  they  insist  upon  it.  He  can  only 
tell  them  of  the  anointing  with  clay  and  the  washing  in 
Siloam ;  but  he  knows  as  well  as  they  that  this  does 
not  adequately  account  for  it.  The  clay  and  the  wash- 
ing were  but  phenomena.  If  the  healing  in  this  case 
had  been  a  plain  operation  for  the  removal  of  cataract, 
no  one  would  have  thought  of  saying,  "  The  scalpel 
did  it."  We  cannot  help  reasoning  from  the  scalpel 
to  the  surgeon.  So,  pursuing  the  record  of  creation 
through  the  factors  of  matter,  force  and  law,  we  come 
at  length  to  the  ultimate  proposition,  "  In  the  begin- 
ning, God." 

The  tendency  in  our  time  is  to  rule  out  the  super- 
natural; to  deny  miracles,  merely  because  we  cannot 
understand  them.  God  is  thus  politely  bowed  out  of 
doors.  In  fact,  however,  the  logical  conclusion  from 
the  visible  facts  of  life  and  history  is  not  agnosticism, 
but  faith.  The  case  of  the  blind  beggar  is  precisely 
paralleled  by  that  of  Nicodemus,  who,  bewildered  by 
the  statement  of  Jesus  as  to  regeneration,  cried,  "  How 
can  these  things  be  ?  "  The  answer  was,  "  The  wind 
bloweth  where  it  listeth  and  thou  hearest  the  sound 
thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh  and 
whither  it  goeth;  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the 
Spirit  of  God." 

The  next  step  of  the  blind  man  on  his  way  truth- 
ward  brings  him  face  to  face  with  the  relation  of 
Jesus  to  his  case.  The  Pharisees,  overwhelmed  by  ir- 
refutable testimony,  were  driven  to  concede  the 
miracle,  but  they  were  not  willing  to  allow  that  Jesus 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    A    CREED       59 

had  any  hand  in  it.  "  Give  God  the  glory,"  they  said ; 
"  this  Jesus  is  a  sinner ;  since  he  has  broken  the  Sab- 
batic Law."  But  the  man  was  not  satisfied ;  he  could 
not  ignore  Jesus,  and,  as  was  natural  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, was  eager  to  know  more  about  him. 

The  little  that  he  did  know  served  but  to  stimulate 
his  desire.  At  first,  in  answer  to  the  question  of  the 
Pharisees,  "Who  is  he  that  opened  thine  eyes?"  he 
could  only  say,  "  A  man  named  Jesus  did  it."  On 
being  pressed  a  little  closer,  "  What  sayest  thou  of 
him  that  he  hath  opened  thine  eyes?  "  he  replied,  "  He 
is  a  prophet  " ;  that  is,  a  teacher  having  his  commission 
from  God.  But  when  questioned  further  still,  he 
affirmed  that  the  healer  must  be  "  of  God  " ;  that  is,  in 
vital  relation  with  God.  All  this  indicates  that  he  was 
a  sound  inductive  reasoner.  The  "  marvellous  thing  " 
must  somehow  be  accounted  for;  and  nothing  could 
account  for  it  but  the  power  of  God. 

The  same  line  of  argument  was  pursued  by  Na- 
poleon in  his  historic  conversation  with  General 
Bertrand :  "  I  know  men,"  he  said,  "  and  I  tell  you  that 
Jesus  was  not  a  mere  man.  Superficial  minds  see  a 
resemblance  between  him  and  the  founders  of  em- 
pires ;  but  there  is  none.  His  birth  and  the  history  of 
his  life,  the  profundity  of  his  doctrine  which  grapples 
with  the  mightiest  problems,  everything  is  for  me  a 
mystery  insoluble,  plunging  me  into  reflections  which 
I  cannot  escape.  What  a  master  have  we  here !  In 
his  conflict  with  kings  and  empires  I  see  no  army,  but 
a  mysterious  energy ;  no  rallying  sign  but  the  common 
faith  in  the  mysteries  of  the  cross.  You  speak  of 
Csesar,  of  Alexander,  of  their  conquests  and  of  the 
enthusiasm  which  they  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  their 


60  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

soldiers ;  but  can  you  conceive  of  a  dead  man  making 
conquests  with  an  army  devoted  to  his  memory?  Can 
you  conceive  of  Csesar  governing-  Rome  from  the 
silence  of  a  mausoleum?  Such  is  the  mystery  of  the 
Christian  invasion  and  conquest  of  the  world.  Whose 
is  the  army  which  for  eighteen  centuries  has  protected 
the  Church  from  the  storms  which  have  threatened  to 
engulf  it?  Caesar,  Alexander,  Charlemagne  and  I  have 
founded  empires;  but  on  what  did  we  rest  the  crea- 
tions of  our  genius?  On  force.  Jesus  alone  founded 
an  empire  upon  love;  and  at  this  hour  millions  of  men 
would  die  for  him.  Have  I  so  inspired  multitudes  that 
they  would  die  for  me?  Now  that  I  am  at  St.  Helena, 
alone,  chained  upon  this  rock,  who  fights  for  me? 
Where  are  my  courtiers  in  my  misfortunes?  Where 
are  the  friends  who  win  empires  for  me?  Ah,  no, 
Bertrand,  I  did  wrong  in  placing  you  in  command  of 
my  army,  unless  you  perceive  that  Jesus  is  God." 

The  blind  beggar  in  his  stumbling  way  was  think- 
ing along  the  same  line.  To  account  for  the  miracle 
that  had  been  wrought  upon  him  he  walks  in  the  same 
path  that  we  must  needs  pursue  in  explaining  the 
march  of  Jesus  through  the  ages.  The  miracles  are 
one  and  the  conclusion  is  one,  to  wit,  the  divinity  of 
Christ. 

The  man  who  had  charge  of  the  execution  on 
Golgotha  saw  in  the  victim  whom  he  led  forth  to  exe- 
cution only  "  a  man  called  Jesus."  But  later  on,  as 
he  gazed  upon  the  patient  sufferer  on  the  middle  cross, 
he  was  moved  to  say,  "  This  was  a  righteous  man." 
And  when  the  tragedy  was  over,  reviewing  all,  he 
was  constrained  to  say,  "  Verily,  this  was  the  Son  of 
God !  " 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    A    CREED       61 

And  now  we  come  to  the  blind  man's  creed.  He 
had  been  cast  out  by  the  Pharisees ;  excommunicated 
with  "  bell,  book  and  candle."  And  it  is  written, 
"  Jesus  found  him."  Oh,  blessed  seeking  Son  of  God ! 
He  is  ever  seeking  the  homeless  and  hopeless,  the 
lonely  and  lost.  And  to  this  man  he  said,  "  Dost  thou 
believe  on  the  Son  of  God?  "  The  answer  was,  "  Who 
is  he,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on  him  ? "  And 
Jesus  said,  "  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  he  it  is 
that  talketh  with  thee."  Then  came  the  response  of 
faith,  cordial,  immediate,  joyous,  because  the  man  had 
been  waiting  to  welcome  the  truth :  "  Lord,  I  believe !  " 
and  he  worshipped  him. 

We  have  thus  traced  the  Evolution  of  a  Creed. 
This  man  had  felt  his  way,  like  one  in  a  labyrinth  seek- 
ing a  far-off  gleam.  He  had  "  known  "  some  things 
all  along,  but  now  he  is  prepared  to  say,  "  I  believe !  " 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  knowing  and 
believing.  One  may  know  much  and  believe  little,  and 
vice  versa.  A  man  may  know  that  "  honesty  is  the 
best  policy,"  but  unless  he  is  an  honest  man  he  does 
not  believe  it.  A  citizen  of  New  York  may  know  that 
municipal  righteousness  is  a  desirable  thing,  but  unless 
he  casts  his  ballot  accordingly  he  does  not  believe  it. 
Moses  knew,  beyond  all  possibility  of  doubt  or  perad- 
venture,  that  God  spoke  to  him  from  the  burning  bush ; 
but  he  showed  that  he  believed  it  when,  obedient  to 
the  divine  command,  he  stood  within  the  halls  of 
Pharaoh,  saying,  "  Thus  said  the  Lord,  Let  my  people 
go !  "  The  prodigal  knew  from  the  beginning  of  his 
downward  career  that  in  his  father's  house  there  was 
plenty  and  to  spare,  but  his  knowledge  was  not  vital- 
ized and  transmuted  into  faith  until  he  said,  "  I  will 


62  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

arise  and  go !  "  So  the  blind  man's  creed  was  not 
reached  until  he  made  his  confession  of  faith,  "  Lord, 
I  believe,"  and  had  demonstrated  his  sincerity  by  wor- 
shipping him. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  people  who  attend  church 
and  hear  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  from  time  to  time 
are  such  as  were  born  and  bred  in  an  atmosphere  of 
Christian  truth.  They  read  their  Bibles,  know  their 
catechisms  and  confessions  of  faith,  and  are  familiar 
with  the  evidences  of  Christianity  from  beginning  to 
end.  All  that  they  need  is  to  accept  Christ.  The  real 
touchstone  of  orthodoxy  is  not  knowing  but  appro- 
priating. The  confessor  who  says,  "  I  believe  in 
Christ,"  and  does  not  worship  and  follow  him  in  labor 
of  love  and  patience  of  hope,  is  a  mere  lay-figure. 
His  creed  is  as  empty  as  a  torn  cocoon.  His  faith  is 
that  "  faith  without  works  "  which,  being  dead,  is  not 
faith  at  all  (James  ii,  26).  Knowledge  must  be  re- 
solved, amplified  and  converted  into  belief,  that  is, 
appropriation  of  truth ;  as  Jesus  said,  "  Except  ye  eat 
the  flesh  and  drink  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  Man,  ye 
have  no  life  in  you." 

The  facts  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  were  all  in 
the  possession  of  Thomas  when,  in  the  upper  room,  he 
made  his  famous  protest  against  it.  The  Marys, 
Cleopas  and  his  companion,  John,  James  and  others 
of  the  Eleven  had  testified  to  seeing  not  only  the  open 
sepulchre,  but  the  risen  Christ.  But  overwhelming  as 
the  evidence  was,  Thomas  would  not  believe.  "  I  will 
not  believe,"  he  said,  "  until  I  have  seen  for  myself, 
until  I  have  thrust  my  fingers  into  the  nail-prints." 
And  it  was  only  when  Jesus  had  thus  convinced  him 
that  he  prostrated  himself,  crying,  "  My  Lord  and  my 


THE   EVOLUTION    OF    A    CREED       63 

God !  "  So  knowledge  becomes  faith  by  vital  contact 
with  Christ.  It  is  well  to  be  able  to  say,  "  One  thing 
I  know  " ;  but  life  and  immortality  are  in  this  word, 
"  Lord,  I  believe !  "  For  by  this  our  lives  are  inter- 
woven with  our  Lord's  and  hid  with  him  in  God. 


VI 

THE  CREDENTIALS   OF   CHRIST 

In  which  Jesus  puts  a  group  of  Biblical  Experts  in  a  quandary 
by  requiring  them  to  interpret  a  prophecy  concerning 
David's  Son. 

Jesus,  to  a  group  of  Pharisees:  "  What  think  ye  of 
the  Christ?.    Whose  Son  is  he?" 

Pharisees:    "  The  Son  of  David." 

Jesus:  "How  then  doth  David  in  the  Spirit  call  him 
Lord,  saying, 

The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord, 

Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand, 

Till  I  put  thine  enemies  underneath  thy  feet? 

If  David  then  callcth  him  Lord,  how  is  he  his  son?" — 
Matt,  xxii,  41-45. 

The  ministry  of  Jesus  reached  its  climacteric  on  April 
3rd  of  Passion  Week.  It  was  the  last  day  of  his 
public  teaching  and  is  known  as  "  the  Day  of  Tempta- 
tions." In  the  early  morning  he  began  to  teach  the 
people  gathered  about  him. 

The  religious  leaders  at  once  appeared  and  raised 
the  question,  "  By  what  authority  doest  thou  these 
things  ?  "  We  shall  find  that  question  running  through 
all  the  incidents  of  this  historic  day.  One  of  "  these 
things  "  for  which  the  Pharisees  demanded  the  au- 
thority of  Jesus  was  his  dogmatic  presentation  of 
spiritual  truth.  It  was  said  of  him  that  "  he  spake  not 
as  the  scribes  " — who  were  in  the  habit  of  supporting 
their  positions  by  reference  to  the  fathers ;  as,  "  Hillel 

64 


THE    CREDENTIALS    OF    CHRIST      65 

saith  thus,"  or  "  Shammai  saith  so  " — but  "  as  one 
having  authority."  The  word  "  authority "  in  this 
case,  exousia,  means  authority  from  within.  The 
formula  of  Jesus  was  not,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord," 
but,  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you."  There  never 
was  a  teacher  who  laid  his  hands  so  boldly  upon  the 
problems  of  the  eternal  life  as  he ;  and  no  other  ever 
presumed  to  speak  with  this  oracular,  "  I  say  so ! " 
It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  whose  monopoly  of  religious  instruction 
had  thus  far  been  unquestioned,  should  insist  upon  his 
credentials :  "  Who  art  thou,  a  mere  carpenter,  un- 
lettered and  unordained,  that  thou  shouldst  thus  exalt 
thyself  against  the  Holy  Orders  ?  " 

Another  of  the  "  things  "  which  were  challenged  by 
these  Doctors  of  Divinity  was  the  exercise  of  miracu- 
lous power.  There  was  practically  no  denial  of  the 
fact  of  this  power  during  the  lifetime  of  Jesus.  That 
was  scarcely  possible,  since  in  every  town  and  village 
through  which  he  passed  there  were  not  only  wit- 
nesses, but  living  monuments,  of  his  healing  grace; 
cleansed  lepers,  dispossessed  demoniacs  and  restored 
paralytics.  It  was  to  be  expected,  however,  that  the 
popular  leaders,  who  had  no  such  supernatural  thera- 
peutics at  their  command,  should  insist  on  seeing  his 
diploma.  "  Show  thine  authority !  "  they  said.  "  Pro- 
duce thy  license ;  where  has  thou  received  thy  com- 
mission to  do  these  things  ?  " 

But  the  one  thing,  above  all  others,  which  provoked 
the  challenge  of  these  Rabbinical  censors,  was  Jesus' 
assumption  of  the  power  of  absolution.  Once  and 
again  he  had  said  to  a  penitent,  "  Thy  sins  be  forgiven 
thee."     Observe,  he  did  not  say  "  In    the    name    of 


66  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

God  " ;  but  exercised  his  authority  always  as  from 
within.  They  were  naturally  amazed  at  such  pre- 
sumption. "  He  speaketh  blasphemy,"  they  said ; 
"who  can  forgive  sins  but  God  only?"  And  again 
came  the  demand  for  his  authority.  Quo  warranto? 
Hear  the  little  men  calling  for  the  canonicals  of  this 
great  Man.  They  were  graduates  of  the  University 
of  Jerusalem  and,  behold,  he  had  dwelt  with  the 
Father  in  the  primal  glory  of  truth  before  the  world 
was! 

At  the  first* he  gave  them  no  answer;  or  rather,  he 
baffled  them  with  a  counter  question :  "  I  also  will 
ask  you  one  thing ;  and  if  ye  answer  me,  I  will  tell  you 
by  what  authority  I  do  these  things.  The  baptism  of 
John,  whence  was  it,  from  heaven,  or  of  men  ?  "  And 
they  reasoned  within  themselves,  saying,  "  If  we  say, 
From  heaven,  he  will  reply,  Why  did  ye  not  believe 
him?  But  if  we  shall  say,  Of  men,  the  people  who 
believe  in  John  will  rally  about  him."  So  they  an- 
swered, "  We  cannot  tell."  And  he  said,  "  Neither  tell 
I  unto  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things."  He 
had  no  consideration  for  mere  curiosity  on  the  one 
hand  or  for  censoriousness  on  the  other.  But  before 
this  eventful  day  was  over  he  would  definitely  meet 
this  challenge,  as  we  shall  see,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
reasonable  men. 

An  intimation  of  the  truth  was  immediately  given 
in  the  form  of  a  parable.  A  certain  householder  had 
a  vineyard,  which  he  let  out  to  husbandmen  and  went 
into  a  far  country.  When  the  time  of  the  vintage  drew 
near,  he  sent  his  servants  to  receive  the  fruits  of  it. 
And  the  husbandmen  beat  his  servants  and  killed  them. 
And  again  he  sent  other  servants  to  demand  the  fruits ; 


THE    CREDENTIALS    OF    CHRIST      67 

and  they  did  unto  them  likewise.  Then  he  sent  unto 
them  his  son,  saying,  They  will  reverence  him.  But 
when  the  husbandmen  saw  the  son,  they  said  among 
themselves,  This  is  the  heir;  come,  let  us  kill  him  and 
seize  on  the  inheritance.  And  they  caught  him  and 
cast  him  out  of  the  vineyard  and  slew  him.  "  What 
now,"  asked  Jesus,  "  will  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  do 
unto  those  husbandmen?"  The  people  said,  "  He 
will  miserably  destroy  them,  and  let  out  his  vineyard 
to  other  men."  And  Jesus  said,  with  special  signifi- 
cance to  the  Pharisees  who  were  still  lingering  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  crowd,  "  Did  ye  never  read  in  the 
Scriptures,  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected, 
the  same  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner;  this  is 
the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes  "  ? 
By  this  they  were  given  to  understand  plainly  that  his 
authority  was  that  of  the  only-begotten  Son,  and  that 
they  were  to  be  condemned  for  their  rejection  of  him. 

As  the  day  wore  on  the  controversy  between  Christ 
and  his  malignant  critics  waxed  hotter  and  hotter,  the 
question  of  his  authority  being  always  uppermost. 
The  three  parties  in  the  Sanhedrin  put  their  heads 
together  and  sent  representative  delegations  to  entrap 
him.  The  Herodians  propounded  the  question  of  the 
Tribute  Money,  which  he  disposed  of  with  the  words, 
"  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's  and 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's."  The  Sadducees 
brought  their  pettifogging  question  of  the  Sevenfold 
Widow,  which  he  turned  with  the  skill  of  an  accom- 
plished dialectician,  rebuking  them  for  "  not  knowing 
the  Scriptures  nor  the  power  of  God."  The  Pharisees 
approached  him  with  the  question  of  the  Greatest 
Commandment,  to  which  he  was  pleased  to  make  a 


68  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

direct  answer :  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart  and  soul  and  mind  and  strength." 
Thus  all  were  foiled  at  every  point.  ' 

It  was  now  toward  evening;  and  the  Lord  himself 
turned  questioner  in  such  a  manner  as  not  only  to  ac- 
count for  his  authority  but  to  place  his  inquisitors  in  a 
quandary  from  which  they  would  find  it  impossible  to 
extricate  themselves.  "  IVIiat  think  ye  of  Christ?  "  he 
asked;  "whose  son  is  he?"  They  answered,  "The 
Son  of  David."  He  saith  unto  fJiem,  "  Hozv  then  doth 
David  in  Spirit  (tliat  is,  by  inspirition)  cull  him  Lord, 
saying,  Jchozvth  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  on  my  right 
hand,  till  I  make  thine"  enemies  thy  footstool?  If 
David  then  called  him  Lord,  how  is  Jue  his  son?'"  'And 
no  man  was  able  to  answer  him. 

Observe,  he  asked  the  question  but  did  not  elucidate 
it.  Having  given  them  food  for  reflection  he  left  them 
to  digest  it  at  their  leisure.  And  this,  "  How,  then  ?  " 
opens  up  a  problem  which  addresses  itself  imperatively 
to  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  all  thoughtful  men. 
It  was  propounded  at  a  supreme  moment  in  the  life  of 
Jesus.  All  the  events  of  this  wonderful  day  had  been 
leading  up  to  it.  It  is  a  question  not  only  of  the 
authority  of  Jesus  but  of  his  nature  and  character  as 
the  veritable  Son  of  God.  Let  us,  therefore,  turn  to 
Psalm  no,  which  was  his  proof-text  on  this  occasion, 
and  learn  if  possible  the  meaning  of  it. 

It  will  be  in  order  to  ask  David,  to  begin  with,  "  If 
the  Messiah  was  to  be  thy  son,  how  didst  thou  call 
him  Adonai;  that  is,  thy  divine  Lord?"  His  answer 
must  be,  "  I,  being  in  the  spirit,  heard  Jehovah  say  to 
my  son,  '  Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand  until  I  make  thine 
enemies  thy  footstool.'     I  saw  him  place  the  rod  of 


THE    CREDENTIALS    OF    CHRIST      69 

divine  authority  in  his  hand,  saying,  '  Rule  thou  in  the 
midst  of  thine  enemies.'  I  saw  a  great  company  of 
soldiers  gather  at  his  command,  not  as  mercenaries,  but 
willing  in  the  day  of  his  power,  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand  and  thousands  of  thousands  like  dewdrops 
from  the  womb  of  the  morning.  I  saw  Jehovah  lift  his 
hand  and  heard  him  swear,  '  Thou  art  a  Priest  for- 
ever after  the  order  of  Melchizedek.'  And  to  me  he 
said,  '  The  Lord  at  thy  hand  shall  strike  through  kings 
in  the  day  of  his  indignation.'  All  this  I  saw  and 
heard  when  in  the  spirit;  and  more  I  know  not." 

Let  us  next  put  the  question  "  How,  then  ?  "  to  the 
destructive  Critics,  who  profess  to  be  the  Scribes  or 
Biblical  Experts  of  our  time.  Some  of  them  will  an- 
swer by  denying  that  the  one  hundred  and  tenth  Psalm 
is  Davidic.  What  matters  it  that  the  title  runs,  "  A 
Psalm  of  David  "  ?  they  deny  it.  What  matters  it  that 
all  Jewish  scholars  and  commentators  even  to  this  day 
are  agreed  as  to  its  Davidic  origin  ?  they  deny  it.  What 
matters  it  that  this  Psalm,  which  is  more  frequently 
quoted  by  Christ  and  his  apostles  than  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  Old  Testament,  is  invariably  ascribed  to 
David?  they  deny  it.  What  matters  it  that  Jesus  af- 
firmed without  if  or  peradventure  that  David  was  its 
author?  they  deny  it.  What  matters  it  that  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Christian  Church  through  all  the  cen- 
turies, as  formulated  in  its  creeds  and  confessions,  is 
to  the  same  purport  ?  they  deny  it.  The  ground  of  such 
dogmatic  denial  should  be  obviously  so  convincing  as 
to  secure  an  immediate  and  general  assent.  What 
matters  it  that  no  such  evidence  is  forthcoming,  as 
their  mutual  differences  show?  they  still  deny  it. 

Others  of  the  destructive  Critics  will  answer  by  dis- 


70  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

puting  the  Messianic  character  of  the  Psalm.  It  goes 
for  nothing,  apparently,  that  the  opposite  view  is  en- 
tertained by  all  except  themselves ;  they  do  not  hesitate 
calmly  and  complacently  to  set  their  personal  opinion 
against  the  united  testimony  of  the  scholarship  of  the 
ages.  If  forced  to  admit  that  David  was  the  author, 
they  still  insist  that  his  reference  was  to  one  of  his  own 
princely  sons.  But  which  of  them  could  meet  the 
manifesto?  Absalom,  the  scapegrace?  Solomon,  "  the 
wise  fool "  ?  Was  there  one  of  David's  immediate  or 
remoter  lineage  who  ever  became  a  priest,  and  a  per- 
petual priest?  Was  ever  one  of  them  placed  in  Je- 
hovah's throne  and  at  his  right  hand,  the  place  of 
equality  with  him?  Did  ever  one  of  them  rally  an 
army  like  the  dewdrops  of  morning  and  go  forth  to 
universal  conquest?  Nay;  surely  the  meaning  lies 
deeper.    The  question  is  not  answered  yet. 

Others,  still,  of  this  select  coterie  of  scholars,  if 
forced  to  admit  the  Davidic  and  Messianic  character 
of  the  Psalm,  will  deny  its  reference  to  Jesus.  Never- 
theless they  profess  to  believe  in  him  who  said,  as 
plainly  as  words  could  express  it,  "  I  am  that  One !  " 
It  was  of  precisely  such  men,  the  religious  leaders  of 
his  time  who  professed  to  believe  in  the  Messiah  and 
to  be  looking  for  him,  that  he  said  in  words  as  scath- 
ingly denunciatory  as  they  were  pathetically  tender, 
"  Ye  search  *  the  Scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye 
have  eternal  life,  and  these  are  they  which  testify  of 
me ;  and  ye  will  not  come  unto  me  that  ye  might  have 
life  !  "     Blind,  blind  under  the  noonday  sun ! 

1  The  word  'epeuvare  is  alike  in  the  indicative  and  impera- 
tive, and  may  be  rendered  either  "  Search "  or  "  Ye  do 
Search"  (John  v,  39). 


THE    CREDENTIALS    OF    CHRIST      71 

Let  us  turn  now  to  the  Highest  Critics  and  put  the 
question  to  them.  But  are  there  any  higher  than  the 
Higher  Critics?  Aye;  and  of  such  a  character  that 
not  even  the  Higher  Critics  themselves  will  hesitate 
to  admit  their  superior  claim ;  to  wit,  the  three  Per- 
sons of  the  ineffable  Godhead.  It  is  a  matter  of  sur- 
passing moment  that  each  of  these  has  uttered  his 
voice  in  authoritative  exposition  of  this  Psalm.  On 
the  day  of  our  Lord's  baptism,  the  initiatory  service 
by  which  he  was  formally  inaugurated  into  the  work 
of  his  ministry,  while  he  stood  in  the  verge  of  Jordan 
the  heavens  were  opened  above  him  and  the  Father 
spoke :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son ;  hear  ye  him ! " 

The  testimony  of  the  Son  with  respect  to  his  own 
claims  as  both  David's  son  and  divine  Lord  is  equally 
clear.  At  the  outset  of  his  ministry  he  entered  the 
home  church  at  Nazareth  and  opened  the  Scriptures  at 
the  lesson  of  the  day,  one  of  the  Messianic  prophecies 
of  Isaiah ;  and  having  read  it,  he  turned  his  eyes  upon 
the  congregation,  saying,  "  This  day  is  this  Scripture 
fulfilled  in  your  ears."  A  little  later  he  said  to  a 
woman  who  had  expressed  a  desire  for  the  coming  of 
the  Messiah,  who  should  relieve  her  doubts  and  heal 
her  transgressions,  "  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he !  " 
To  the  Jews  who  boasted  of  their  Abrahamic  descent, 
he  said  "  Before  Abraham  was  I  AM  " ;  appropriating 
to  himself  the  mysterious  name  of  Deity  which  had 
been  announced  from  the  burning  bush,  "  I  AM  hath 
sent  you."  At  the  close  of  his  ministry  when  on  trial 
for  his  life,  the  High  Priest  said  to  him,  "  I  adjure 
thee  by  the  living  God,  that  thou  tell  us  plainly 
whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  " ;  and 
Jesus  answered,  in  the  strongest  form  of  affirmation 


72  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

which  was  possible,  "  Thou  hast  said  " ;  adding,  "  I 
say  unto  you,  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of  Man 
sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power  and  coming  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven !  "  That  the  High  Priest  under- 
stood what  he  meant  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he 
straightway  rent  his  clothes,  saying,  "  He  hath  spoken 
blasphemy!  What  further  need  have  we  of  witnesses? 
What  think  ye?  "  And  his  associates  answered,  "  He 
is  guilty  of  death !  "  Had  Jesus  been  willing  then  or 
subsequently  to  swerve  a  hair's  breadth  from  the  claim 
that  he  was  not  only  David's  son,  but  David's  Lord, 
he  might  have  escaped  the  penalty ;  but  he  died  for 
"  making  himself  equal  with  God." 

The  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  was  set 
forth  in  his  baptism  by  the  dove  descending  upon  him, 
is  equally  conclusive.  As  the  Executive  of  the  New 
Economy  it  has  been  and  is  the  special  and  particular 
function  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  declare  and  establish  the 
claims  of  Jesus  as  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God.  He 
makes  himself  heard  in  unmistakable  tones  in  the  pro- 
gressive and  cumulative  events  of  history.  The  lines 
are  ever  converging  toward  the  Golden  Age  in  which 
he,  with  the  rod  of  power  in  his  hand,  shall  rule  from 
the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  It  was  Disraeli, 
himself  of  the  ancient  race  of  Israel,  who  reproved  his 
countrymen  for  their  blindness  in  these  words :  "  The 
wildest  dreams  of  the  Jews  as  to  their  Messiah  have 
been  realized  in  the  triumphs  of  Jesus  as  represented 
in  the  realms  of  Christendom."  We  say,  therefore, 
that  to  deny  the  Spirit's  interpretations  of  this  Mes- 
sianic Psalm,  at  this  period  of  the  world's  progress,  is 
to  be  oblivious  of  the  logic  of  events  and  to  dispute 
the  sight  of  one's  eyes  and  the  hearing  of  one's  ears. 


THE    CREDENTIALS    OF    CHRIST      73 

It  remains  only  to  put  the  question  to  the  great 
multitude  of  penitent  sinners  who  believe  that  they 
have  felt  the  pardoning  grace  of  the  Messiah  in  their 
own  experience.  "  How  then  doth  David  say,  My  son 
is  my  Lord  ?  "  And  with  united  voice  they  answer 
on  this  wise :  "  I  have  need  of  a  Prophet  who  shall  be 
more  to  me  than  David's  son,  since  he  must  instruct 
me  with  omniscience  and  divine  authority  in  the  sav- 
ing truths  of  the  eternal  life.  I  have  need  of  a  Priest 
who  shall  be  more  to  me  than  David's  son,  since  he 
must  not  only  offer  a  sufficient  sacrifice  for  my  sins, 
but  stand  in  the  perpetual  exercise  of  his  holy  office, 
interceding  at  the  throne  of  the  heavenly  grace.  T 
have  need  of  a  King  who  shall  be  more  to  me  than 
David's  son,  since  he  must  rule  with  indisputable 
authority  and  control  my  life.  I  find  such  a  One  in 
Jesus  the  Christ,  who  is  not  only  of  the  lineage  of 
David,  but  his  Lord  and  mine ;  my  Prophet,  Priest  and 
King.  O  strong  Son  of  God !  Omniscient,  omnipres- 
ent, omnipotent !  Mighty  to  save !  The  kings  of  the 
nations  cast  their  crowns  before  thee!  Kings  in  the 
province  of  science,  kings  of  scholarship,  kings  in 
the  world  of  spirits,  principalities  and  powers;  all 
cast  their  crowns  before  thee,  saying,  "  Thou  are 
worthy  to  receive  honor  and  glory,  dominion  and 
power  forever  and  ever !  "  Here  is  no  son  of  David 
wearing  a  tinsel  crown;  but  One  able  to  save  even  to 
the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  him.  He  is  both  Son 
of  Man  and  Son  of  God.  He  is  Son  of  David  and 
Lord  of  David  and  of  all  who,  like  David,  have  sinned 
against  God ;  as  it  is  written,  "  He  was  made  of  the  seed 
of  David  according  to  the  flesh  and  declared  to  be  the 
Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  Spirit  of 


74  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

Holiness,  by  his  resurrection  from  the  dead"  (Romans 

I,  4). 

To  reject  him  as  the  God-Man,  flesh  of  our  flesh, 
yet  very  God  of  very  God,  is  to  sin  against  both  Revela- 
tion and  the  increasing  light  of  the  ages.  To  reject 
him,  in  view  of  the  clear  testimony  of  the  oracles  as 
well  as  of  the  philosophy  of  history,  is  to  commit  the 
unpardonable  sin;  since  in  so  doing  we  reject  the  only 
proffer  of  pardon  that  has  ever  been  made  to  sinful 
men.  To  reject  him  is  to  be  guilty  of  the  crime  of  the 
husbandmen  who  slew  the  Heir  Apparent  when  he 
came  to  the  vineyard  to  collect  his  own. 

We  conclude,  then,  that  it  is  not  enough  to  receive 
Christ  as  a  son  of  David ;  that  is,  to  affirm  that  he  is 
a  good  man  or  even  the  best  of  men,  while  rejecting 
his  divine  claim.  This  is  to  fall  short,  infinitely  and 
fatally,  of  the  saving  truth.  The  young  man  who  pros- 
trated himself  before  Jesus,  saying,  "Good  Rabbi,  what 
shall  I  do  that  I  might  inherit  eternal  life?"  was  re- 
proved in  these  significant  terms,  "  Why  callest  thou 
me  good?  There  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God." 
If  this  means  anything,  it  means  that  Jesus  rejects, 
utterly  and  unreservedly,  the  adulation  of  those  who 
regard  him  as  merely  the  best  of  men.  He  is  either 
what  he  claims  to  be  or  else  he  is  obviously  far  from 
being  the  best  of  men.  He  will  not  be  "  Good  Rabbi." 
Call  him  God ;  or  rise  from  thy  knees !  The  only  con- 
fession of  faith  which  he  accepts  is  that  of  Peter,  who, 
in  answer  to  the  question  "  Who  say  ye  that  I  am  ?  " 
replied,  "  Thou  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God!" 

A  leading  Unitarian  has  said,  "  Jesus  has  no  divine 
birth-marks."     What,  then,  are  these  wounds  in  his 


THE    CREDENTIALS    OF    CHRIST      75 

hands  and  side?  Are  they  not  the  fulfilment  of  all 
the  crimson  prophecies  of  Messiah  which  run  through 
Scripture  from  the  protevangel  to  the  cross?  Are 
they  not  the  divine  sanction  of  Salvation  to  the  multi- 
tude in  heaven  and  on  earth  who  hail  him  thus,  "  Thou 
art  worthy  to  receive  honor  and  dominion  and  power 
and  glory,  because  thou  was  slain  for  us  "  ?  Touch 
those  wounds,  friend,  as  Thomas  did,  and  finding  in 
them  the  birth-marks  of  David's  Lord,  fall  before  him 
with  the  confession,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God ! " 


VII 

THE    EVIDENTIAL    VALUE    OF    MIRACLES 

In  which  certain  of  the  Jews  inquiring  as  to  his  credentials 
are  referred  to  his  wonderful  works. 

The  Jews,  in  Solomon's  Porch:  "How  long  dost  thou 
hold  us  in  suspense?  If  thou  art  the  Christ,  tell  us 
plainly." 

Jesus:  "I  told  you,  and  ye  believe  not:  the  works 
that  I  do  in  my  Father's  name,  these  bear  witness  of 
me." — John  x,  22-25. 

It  does  not  seem  to  have  occurred  to  the  cavilers  of 
his  time  to  deny  the  Miracles  of  Jesus.  The  witnesses 
were  so  numerous  and  the  evidences  so  overwhelming 
that  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  admit  the  fact ;  the 
only  question  being  as  to  what  should  be  done  about  it. 

It  was  left  to  people  at  a  remove  of  some  centuries 
from  the  scene  of  action  to  exploit  a  different  view. 
This  is  one  of  the  queer  developments  of  our  progres- 
sive age ;  not  only  a  denial  of  these  Miracles  as  matter 
of  fact,  but  of  their  evidential  value,  Christ  to  the  con- 
trary notwithstanding. 

He  came  into  the  world  to  redeem  it.  To  this  end 
he  must  not  only  be,  but  show  himself  to  be,  the  veri- 
table Son  of  God.  The  evidence  which  he  offered  was 
threefold ;  namely,  his  character,  his  preaching  and  his 
Miracles. 

He  affirmed  once  and  again  that  his  Miracles  were 
intended  to  verify  his  divine  claim.  At  the  beginning 
of  his  ministry  he  went  into  the  synagogue  at  Naza- 

76 


EVIDENTIAL    VALUE    OF    MIRACLES    77 

reth  and  opened  the  Book  of  Isaiah  where  it  is  written, 
"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me,  because  he 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor ;  he 
hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach 
deliverance  to  the  captives  and  recovering  of  sight  to 
the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to 
preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  And  having 
read  this  clear  prophecy  of  the  Miracle-working  Christ 
to  the  waiting  congregation,  he  added,  "  This  day  is 
this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears." 

On  a  later  occasion,  when  John  the  Baptist,  a  pris- 
oner in  the  castle  of  Machasrus,  sent  some  of  his  fol- 
lowers to  inquire  of  Jesus,  "  Art  thou  he  that  should 
come,  or  look  we  for  another  ?  "  the  answer  was  de- 
ferred while  he  wrought  certain  Miracles  of  healing; 
then  he  said,  "  Go  tell  John  what  things  which  ye  have 
seen  and  heard:  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk,  the 
lepers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised, 
to  the  poor  the  gospel  is  preached." 

It  is  thus  manifest  that  Christ  himself  put  a  high 
estimate  on  the  evidential  value  of  his  Miracles.  "  Be- 
lieve me,"  he  said,  "  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the 
Father  in  me;  or  else  believe  me  for  the  very  works' 
sake  " ;  and  again,  "  The  works  that  I  do  bear  witness 
of  me." 

It  is  not,  however,  to  the  Miracles  of  Christ,  ex- 
clusively, that  we  address  ourselves  now,  but  rather 
to  a  consideration  of  Miracles  in  general.  The  man 
who  says,  "  I  do  not  believe  in  Miracles,"  is 
hasty  in  his  speech.  His  remark  is  due  to  a  mis- 
apprehension of  the  question  at  issue,  or  rather  to  a 
series  of  misapprehensions,  which  it  is  our  present 
purpose  to  point  out. 


78  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

1.  There  is  a  misunderstanding  at  the  outset  as  to 
the  Definition  of  a  Miracle;  the  supposition  being  that 
it  it  something  opposed  to  nature  and  in  contravention 
of  law.     It  is  nothing  of  the  sort. 

The  primitive  meaning  of  the  word  "  Miracle  "  is 
simply  a  wonderful  thing;  the  root  being  miror,  that 
is,  "  I  wonder."  In  this  sense  the  world  is  full  of 
Miracles ;  there  is  no  end  of  "  things  which  cannot  be 
found  out." 

The  reason  why  we  wonder  at  anything  is  because 
it  is  unfamiliar.  Ice  on  the  Congo  River  would  be  a 
Miracle  to  the  natives,  because  they  have  never  seen 
it.  The  budding  of  a  tree  in  one's  dooryard  would  be 
as  wonderful  as  the  budding  of  Aaron's  rod,  if  the 
good  man  of  the  house  had  never  before  witnessed  it. 

In  the  technical  sense,  a  Miracle  is  anything  which 
bears  the  mark  of  the  supernatural.  The  part  of  the 
hand  that  wrote  on  the  wall  of  Belshazzar's  palace  was 
the  visible  token  of  a  Miracle,  since  it  was  so  far  out  of 
the  ordinary  that  it  could  not  be  explained  by  reference 
to  any  known  law. 

2.  The  denial  of  Miracles  is  due  also  in  a  measure  to 
a  wrong  theory  of  the  world,  to  wit,  that  it  is  a  self- 
evolved  ball  rolling  automatically  in  space. 

If  God  and  the  supernatural  and  everything  but  the 
world  itself  could  be  ruled  out  in  this  manner,  a  Mir- 
acle would  of  course  be  impossible  in  the  nature  of 
the  case.     But  this  is  not  so. 

The  old  Colonial  clock  in  your  hallway  is  in  evi- 
dence at  this  point.  Let  us  stand  before  it  and  ob- 
serve how  Miracles  thrust  themselves  upon  us.  Sup- 
pose I  ask,  "  Who  made  the  clock  ?  "  Do  you  answer, 
"  It  never  was  made ;  it  was  evolved  from  a  sun-dial  ?  " 


EVIDENTIAL    VALUE    OF    MIRACLES    79 

The  mere  suggestion  provokes  a  smile.  Is  it  less  im- 
possible that  our  world  came  into  being  that  way? 
The  only  alternative  is  the  Miracle  of  Creation. 
Suppose  I  ask,  again,  "  What  makes  the  clock  go  ?  " 
You  answer,  "  I  wound  it  up,  and  it  runs  of  itself  for  a 
certain  time."  Here  the  analogy  fails,  since  the  Maker 
of  the  world  claims  to  uphold  all  things  by  the  word 
of  his  power.  In  this  upholding  you  have  the  per- 
petual Miracle  of  Providence.  But  suppose  again 
that,  seeing  your  clock  is  gaining  time,  I  ask,  "  What 
will  you  do  with  it?"  You  answer,  as  you  turn  the 
hands  backward  "  I  regulate  it  in  this  way."  There 
is  the  ever-recurring  Miracle  of  Divine  Interposition. 
The  normal  procession  of  the  hands  is  from  left  to  right, 
and  behold,  you  have  turned  them  the  other  way !  This 
is  apparently  a  violation  of  the  law  of  the  clock ;  really 
it  is  the  interposition  of  a  higher  law,  that  is,  of  the 
human  will.  The  clock  was  constructed  with  this 
possibility  in  view.  Now  God  is  said  to  have  done 
this  very  thing  on  one  occasion,  when  the  sun  stood 
still  upon  Gibeon.  You  say,  "  That  is  a  mere  fable." 
Do  you  mean  to  intimate,  then,  that  you  can  do  with 
your  chronometer  what  God  cannot  do  with  his?  In 
that  case  we  are  reminded  of  what  Jesus  said  to  the 
cavilers  who  called  in  question  the  miracle  of  the 
resurrection,  "  Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  power  of 
God." 

3.  A  further  mistake  is  made  in  assuming  that 
Natural  Science  covers  the  whole  realm  of  knozvable 
things. 

In  fact  science  has  to  do  only  with  the  operation  of 
certain  laws  within  the  province  of  nature,  as  evidenced 
by  the  physical  senses.     It  can  neither  deny  nor  affirm 


80  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

aught  as  to  supernatural ;  since  it  takes  cognizance 
of  only  visible  and  tangible  things.  It  can  guess,  but 
guesses  do  not  count.  Science  is  from  Scire,  meaning, 
"  To  know."  An  argument  ceases  to  be  scientific  when 
it  deals  with  anything  but  facts. 

There  are  two  spheres  of  research,  nature  and  the 
supernatural.  For  the  investigation  of  facts  within 
the  realm  of  the  supernatural  we  are  endowed  with  a 
sixth  sense,  that  is,  faith.  This  is  defined  to  be  "  the 
substance  of  things  hoped  for  and  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen."  Here  is  where  the  problem  of  the 
Miracle  enters ;  and  natural  science  is,  in  the  nature 
of  the  case,  unable  to  solve  it.  A  believer  in  the  super- 
natural is  guided  by  faith,  which  is  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen.  The  processes  here  are  not  verifiable 
by  the  physical  senses,  though  their  conclusions  may  be. 
The  hand  that  was  seen  writing  on  the  banquet  hall  of 
Belshazzar  was  a  fact  beyond  question,  a  visible  fact 
of  which  natural  science  could  take  cognizance,  though 
it  could  not  account  for  it.  At  this  juncture  faith 
comes  in.  It  follows  the  hand  up  to  the  invisible  arm, 
and  the  arm  to  the  unseen  but  real  personality  which 
it  calls  God ;  and  from  God,  as  a  postulate,  it  proceeds 
to  affirm  all  the  great  spiritual  verities  which  center 
in  him. 

The  facts  thus  revealed  are  as  real  as  those  which 
rest  on  the  testimony  of  the  physical  senses,  though  in 
a  different  and  larger  sphere.  It  is  wholly  unreasonable 
to  deny  a  supernatural  thing  because  we  cannot  see  or 
touch  it.  We  do  not  require  one  of  the  physical  senses 
to  do  the  work  which  is  properly  assigned  to  another 
one.  We  do  not  insist  on  seeing  a  musical  chord,  or 
hearing  an  apple,  or  tasting  a  landscape.     It  is  equally 


EVIDENTIAL    VALUE    OF    MIRACLES   81 

unreasonable  to  expect  the  five  physical  senses  to  do 
the  work  of  the  sixth  sense,  which  is  specially  designed 
to  apprehend  spiritual  things.  The  truths  of  the  un- 
seen world  are  as  veritable  and  as  verifiable  as  those 
of  nature.  God  is  as  real  as  a  mountain,  though  "  no 
man  hath  ever  seen  God."  Conversion  is  as  real  as 
the  tacking  of  a  ship,  though  no  man  can  say  of  it, 
"  Lo,  here  !  "  or  "  Lo,  there !  "  And  the  evidence  in 
one  case  is  as  real  as  in  the  other,  and  just  as  convinc- 
ing to  a  thoughtful  man. 

4.  The  next  mistake  is  in  the  assumption  that  "  Mir- 
acles arc  impossible."  How  can  that  be  proven?  The 
The  objector's  say-so  does  not  make  it  so.  The  famil- 
iar fling  at  ministers  for  their  habit  of  dogmatizing 
may  well  be  shifted  to  those  who  make  this  assertion 
with  the  gravity  of  Sir  Oracle. 

This  is  the  tone  of  Hume's  argument  against  mir- 
acles on  the  ground  that  they  lie  without  the  sphere  of 
human  experience.  Huxley  admits  that  this  mode  of 
reasoning  collapsed  long  ago.  Allowing  that  it  proves 
anything,  it  proves  too  much.  If  nothing  can  be  true 
which  does  not  fall  within  the  sphere  of  experience, 
then  there  can  be  nothing  new,  no  invention  and  no 
discovery.  A  hundred  years  ago,  when  it  was  pro- 
posed to  introduce  illuminating  gas  into  London,  Sir 
Walter  Scott  said,  "  There  is  a  fool  in  London  who 
proposes  to  light  the  city  with  smoke ! "  He  was 
simply  repeating  the  argument  of  Hume,  that  the 
thing  which  has  not  been,  cannot  be.  At  about  the 
same  time  Dr.  Lardner  in  the  House  of  Commons 
"  proved,"  in  like  manner,  that  a  steamship  could  not 
cross  the  Atlantic;  and  behold,  he  had  scarcely  taken 
his  seat  before  "  The  Savannah  "  came  steaming  into 


82  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

the  port  of  Liverpool.  It  is  thus  that  the  argument 
from  experience  breaks  down.  The  story  of  the  Swim- 
ming Axe  in  the  Second  Book  of  Kings  used  to  pro- 
voke a  smile  in  some  quarters ;  but  iron  steamships  are 
now  floating  over  all  the  seas.  Time  was  when  a  man 
would  have  been  laughed  at  for  claiming  that  he  could 
throw  his  voice  a  mile,  yet  only  yesterday  I  took  down 
the  receiver  of  my  telephone  and  held  conversation 
with  a  friend  in  Indiana.  Why  should  it  be  thought 
preposterous  for  a  man  of  Macedonia  to  call  to  Paul 
across  the  Hellespont,  "  Come  over  and  help  us !  "  when 
to-day  you  can  stand  at  Cape  Cod  and  shout  an  arrest 
to  a  vessel  in  mid-ocean?  It  is  obvious,  therefore, 
that  the  height  of  folly  is  reached  when  one  denies  the 
possibility  of  anything  on  the  mere  ground  that  neither 
he  nor  any  other  has  ever  seen  it. 

5.  We  note  a  further  mistake  in  the  assertion  that 
Miracles  do  not  rest  on  Evidence. 

It  is  true,  as  already  intimated,  that  they  do  not 
rest  on  the  evidence  of  the  physical  senses,  except  as  to 
their  visible  results.  But  they  rest  on  faith ;  and  faith 
is  both  "  substance  "  and  "  evidence."  If  a  man  re- 
fuses to  exercise  his  sixth  sense,  of  course  he  cannot 
expect  to  apprehend  the  things  which  lie  beyond  the 
province  of  his  finger  tips. 

On  the  shore  of  Lake  Gennesareth  in  the  early 
morning  a  group  of  fishermen  were  engaged  in  earnest 
conversation  as  to  a  singular  event  which  had  occurred 
in  the  night.  A  storm,  such  as  had  rarely  been  known 
even  on  that  boisterous  lake,  had  been  raging  furiously, 
when,  on  a  sudden,  it  subsided  and  there  was  a  great 
calm.  They  had  never  seen  the  like  before  and  could 
not  account  for  it.    Just  then  a   little  boat  pushed 


EVIDENTIAL    VALUE    OF    MIRACLES     83 

ashore  and  a  company  of  fishermen  disembarked,  who 
had  been  out  in  the  storm.  They  joined  the  others, 
and,  hearing  the  discussion,  said,  "  We  were  there  and 
know  precisely  how  the  thing  occurred.  At  the  very 
climax  of  the  storm,  when  we  were  in  mortal  terror, 
our  Master  stretched  out  his  hands  and  said,  '  Peace, 
be  still ! '  and  instantly  the  waves  obeyed  him !  "  The 
other  fishermen  might  refuse  to  believe  this;  but  they 
were  scarcely  in  a  position  to  enter  a  dogmatic  denial, 
inasmuch  as  they  were  not  on  the  premises,  while 
James  and  Peter  and  John  were  there  and  saw  it.  The 
fact  itself  was  indisputable;  the  only  question  being 
as  to  the  relation  of  Jesus  to  it.  If  facts  are  to  be 
verified  by  testimony,  is  it  not  obvious  that  the  wit- 
nesses in  this  particular  case  had  the  best  of  the  argu- 
ment? If  their  testimony  is  to  be  invalidated,  it  de- 
volves upon  the  deniers  to  account  for  the  phenomenon 
in  some  other  way.  It  is  not  enough  to  say,  "  We  do 
not  know ; "  nor  is  it  satisfactory  merely  to  say,  "  We 
have  seen  strange  things  to-day." 

The  same  is  true  of  the  greatest  Miracle  of  all,  that 
is,  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  Here  is  a  simple  ques- 
tion of  evidence.  There  were  hundreds  of  witnesses 
who  testified  that  they  saw  Jesus  after  he  had  arisen 
from  the  dead.  There  were  more  than  five  hundred 
who  saw  him  at  once.  The  character  of  these  wit- 
nesses was  not,  and  never  has  been,  impugned.  They 
were  reputable  people,  many  of  them  so  deeply  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  their  testimony  that  they  sealed 
their  confession  with  their  blood.  The  fact  that  Christ 
appeared  repeatedly  after  his  Resurrection  was  one 
which  they  had  verified  with  their  eyes ;  but  the  Mir- 
acle itself,  his  power  over  death,  must  be  received  by 


84  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

faith.  The  evidence  is  so  overwhelming  that  Black- 
stone,  the  greatest  of  authorities  on  the  validity  of 
evidence,  affirmed  that  the  Resurrection  of  Christ  is 
as  incontrovertibly  demonstrated  as  any  fact  that  ever 
occurred  in  the  history  of  the  world.  If  the  case  were 
called  in  court  and  these  witnesses,  by  hundreds,  were 
to  file  in  and  bear  individual  testimony  as  to  what  their 
eyes  had  seen,  no  living  man  would  presume  to  stand 
in  the  court  room  and  in  the  total  absence  of  rebutting 
evidence,  affirm  "  It  is  not  so,"  or  "  It  cannot  be  so," 
or  even,  "  I  do  not  believe  it." 

6.  And  again  it  is  a  grave  mistake  to  charge  those 
who  believe  in  miracles  with  Credulity. 

Faith  is  not  credulity ;  it  is  belief  on  evidence  as  to 
spiritual  things.  If  there  is  any  credulity  it  is  on  the 
part  of  those  who,  despite  the  evidence,  refuse  to 
accept  the  facts.  It  is  conceded  that  it  is  not  so  easy 
for  men  in  a  physical  environment  to  accept  the  facts 
of  the  unseen  world  as  it  is  to  accept  those  which  can 
be  seen  with  fleshly  eyes;  on  the  other  hand,  it  is 
claimed  that  it  is  easier  to  accept  than  to  reject  them. 
Think  for  a  moment  of  the  stupendous  credulity  of 
one  who  refuses  to  accept  the  testimony  of  faith.  He 
must  believe  in  a  world  without  a  Creator  to  account 
for  it,  or  a  Providence  to  preside  over  it!  He  must 
believe  in  law  without  a  Lawgiver,  design  without  a 
Designer,  a  machine  without  a  Mechanic,  effects  with- 
out a  Cause,  mysteries  innumerable  without  a  solution, 
and  in  the  utter  untrustworthiness  of  some  hundreds 
of  millions  of  living  and  respectable  witnesses  who 
say,  "  That  which  we  have  seen  and  heard  declare  we 
unto  you !  "  And  the  only  excuse  which  can  be  of- 
fered by  those  who  take  this  position  is,  that  they  have 


EVIDENTIAL    VALUE    OF    MIRACLES     85 

never  seen  or  touched  these  otherwise  indubitable 
things ! 

If  we  stood  together  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Washing- 
ton and  heard  some  one  say,  "  Time  was  when  the  sea 
rolled  over  yon  towering  height,"  our  impulse  would 
be  to  answer,  "  Impossible ! "  But  going  up  the 
mountain  we  should  find  evidence  enough;  the  sea- 
shells  at  our  feet  would  make  the  fact  perfectly  clear. 
And  we  should  find  it  harder  then  to  reject  the  state- 
ment than  it  was  previously  to  accept  it.  So  we  say 
to  those  who  refuse  to  believe  in  Miracles,  "  Come  up 
with  us  into  the  spiritual  province  where  the  evidence 
can  be  seen  and  you  will  be  convinced."  To  remain 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  a  bondslave  of  the  phys- 
ical senses,  with  the  facts  of  the  spiritual  world  just 
beyond  and  within  easy  reach  by  the  exercise  of  faith, 
is  not  the  part  of  wisdom  or  of  common  sense. 

7.  It  remains  to  speak  of  one  other  mistake,  that  is, 
the  assumption  that  Miracles  are  to  be  found  only  in 
the  Bible. 

There  are  miracles  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  they 
are  there  for  a  definite  purpose ;  namely,  the  verifica- 
tion of  spiritual  truth.  In  the  New  Testament  you 
will  find  the  miracles  of  Jesus,  intended  to  corroborate 
his  divine  claims :  and  the  miracles  of  the  Apostles, 
which  were  wrought  by  the  special  enduement  of  the 
Spirit  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  infant  Church. 
These  miracles  ceased  when  they  had  accomplished 
their  temporary  purpose :  as  the  scaffolding  is  removed 
when  the  walls  of  the  building  have  gone  up. 

But  there  are  other  Miracles,  just  as  supernatural, 
physically  unaccountable  and  spiritually  helpful  in 
these  days.     Every  answer  to  prayer  is  a  Miracle ;  and 


86  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

is  so  regarded  by  those  who  deny  the  efficacy  of  prayer 
on  the  ground  that  it  presupposes  the  supernatural. 
Every  conversion  is  a  Miracle,  because  it  marks  the 
interposition  of  a  law  higher  than  nature.  If  I  toss  a 
ball  into  the  air  it  descends  by  the  force  of  gravity; 
but  if  I  catch  it  in  my  hand,  I  arrest  the  operation  of 
that  law.  Have  I  wronged  gravitation  by  introducing 
the  superior  influence  of  the  human  will?  It  is  pre- 
cisely so  when  God  saves  a  man.  And  also  when,  by 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  sanctifies  him.  The 
law  of  earthly  things  is  decay.  A  man  left  to  himself 
hastens  on  to  spiritual  death.  We  use  salt,  in  common 
life,  to  arrest  decay ;  and  in  this  we  simply  supplant  the 
operation  of  one  law  by  the  greater  power  of  another 
one.  So  is  moral  decay  arrested  by  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  The  relation  of  the  two  laws  is  in- 
dicated by  Paul,  where  he  says,  "  The  law  of  the  Spirit 
of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free  from  the  law 
of  sin  and  death."  The  law  of  the  spirit  is  higher 
than  the  law  of  the  flesh ;  it  arrests  and  supplants  it. 

It  is  not  denied  that  Miracles  are  stumbling-blocks 
in  the  way  of  those  who  might  otherwise  accept  Christ. 
But  "  it  must  needs  be  that  offences  come."  The  real 
difficulty  is  not  with  Miracles;  it  lies  back  of  that,  in 
the  rejection  of  God  himself.  "  He  that  cometh  to 
God  must  believe  that  he  is  and  that  he  is  the  rewarder 
of  them  that  diligently  seek  him."  He  who  once  ac- 
cepts God  must  inevitably  accept  the  whole  system  of 
truth  which  centres  in  him.  The  moment  he  con- 
sents to  use  faith  in  the  contemplation  of  spiritual 
things,  he  is  bound  to  perceive  not  only  God,  but  God 
manifest  in  Christ,  with  the  atonement  and  all  truths 
radiating  from  it. 


EVIDENTIAL    VALUE    OF    MIRACLES     87 

The  Children  of  Israel  are  said  to  have  been  unable 
to  enter  the  land  of  promise  "  because  of  their  unbe- 
lief." The  whole  world  of  the  supernatural  awaits 
the  man  who  is  willing  to  exercise  faith ;  but  without 
faith  he  is  excluded  from  it.  He  lives  like  an  eagle 
tethered  to  a  stake :  he  is  a  bondman  in  the  narrow 
confines  of  the  five  physical  senses.  He  denies  the 
Bible  only  because  he  is  compelled  by  his  position  to 
deny  the  truth  of  all  spiritual  things.  He  denies  Christ 
and  holds  immortality  with  a  slight  tenure  and  doubts 
his  own  birthright  for  the  same  reason.  What  does  he 
need?  He  needs  the  vision  that  Luther  caught  half- 
way up  Sancta  Scala  when  the  light  burst  upon  him, 
and  he  cried,  "  The  just  shall  live  by  faith !  "  Aye ; 
faith  is  the  supreme  function  of  the  spiritual  man.  By 
faith  he  enters  the  land  of  promise.  And  without 
faith  it  is  impossible  for  any  man  to  please  God. 


VIII 
INTOLERANCE 

In  which  a  devoted  but  narrow-minded  friend  of  Jesus  is 
taught  the  lesson  of  true  liberalism. 

John:  "  Teacher,  we  saw  one  casting  out  demons  in 
thy  name;  and  we  forbade  him,  because  he  followed  not 
us." 

Jesus:  "Forbid  him  not:  for  there  is  no  man  who 
shall  do  a  mighty  work  in  my  name,  and  be  able  quickly 
to  speak  evil  of  me.  For  he  that  is  not  against  us  is  for 
us." — Mark  ix,  38-40. 

The  American  Federation  of  Labor  has,  after  long 
and  careful  consideration,  issued  a  formal  condemna- 
tion of  the  "  Open  Shop."  This  action  was  induced 
by  the  fact  that  the  authorities  at  Washington  re- 
tained in  their  employ  a  journeyman  printer  who 
decline*!  to  join  the  Union.  We  rejoice  that  the  con- 
troversy has  been  brought  to  a  head  in  this  manner, 
since  the  situation  was  getting  to  be  utterly  tiresome 
and  intolerable.  It  is  a  distinct  gain  to  know  precisely 
where  we  stand.  As  to  the  right  of  workmen  to  or- 
ganize for  mutual  support  there  is  no  difference  of 
opinion ;  but  when  the  Organization  sets  out  deliber- 
ately to  wrong  the  weak  and  defenceless,  the  soul  of 
every  self-respecting  man  revolts  at  it.  The  position 
taken  by  the  American  Federation  is  an  interference 
with  everybody's  rights.  It  is  an  interference  with 
the  rights  of  the  Public,  who  are  not  to  be  permitted 

88 


INTOLERANCE  89 

henceforth  to  say  what  kind  of  service  it  wants  or 
whom  it  will  have  to  perform  it.  It  is  an  interference 
with  the  rights  of  Union  workmen,  whom  it  reduces  to 
such  abject  servitude  that  they  are  no  longer  able  to 
claim  their  souls  as  their  own.  It  is  an  interference 
with  the  rights  of  Non-union  workmen,  to  whom  it 
says  that,  except  under  certain  tyrannical  conditions, 
they  shall  not  work  at  all.  This  is  the  reductio  ad 
absurdum  of  Trades-unionism ;  and,  whatever  the  duly 
constituted  courts  may  say  about  it,  the  people,  who  are 
the  Court  of  Final  Appeal,  will  spew  it  out  of  their 
mouths. 

But  the  incident  referred  to  is  especially  significant 
as  furnishing  an  illustration  of  a  spirit  of  intolerance 
which,  in  one  form  or  another,  seems  to  be  woven  into 
the  very  warp  and  woof  of  human  nature.  The  truth 
set  forth  in  the  fable  of  the  Dog  in  the  Manger  is  as 
old  as  the  history  of  man,  or  more  properly  as  the  his- 
tory of  sin;  for  the  essence  of  sin  is  selfishness.  Its 
ever-recurring  question  is,  "  Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper  ?  "  the  true  answer  to  which  is  found  in  the 
vernacular  form  of  the  Golden  Rule,  "  Live  and  let 
live." 

It  was  a  memorable  day  in  the  history  of  Israel 
when  seventy  Elders  were  set  apart  to  assist  Moses  in 
the  government.  The  ceremony  of  ordination  oc- 
curred at  the  Tabernacle,  whither  they  had  been  sum- 
moned to  receive  the  enduement  of  the  Spirit.  At  the 
supreme  moment,  when  "  the  Spirit  rested  upon  them 
and  they  prophesied,"  a  young  man  came  running  to 
say  that  two  of  the  chosen  number,  Eldad  and  Medad, 
who  had  for  some  reason  been  unable  to  reach  the 
Tabernacle,  were  engaged  in  prophesying  in  a  remote 


90  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

part  of  the  camp.  "  My  lord  Moses,"  cried  Joshua, 
"forbid  them!."  What  right,  indeed,  had  these  men 
to  be  holding  a  conventicle  of  their  own?  But  Moses 
thought  differently:  "Are  ye  jealous  for  me?"  he 
answered.  "  Would  God  that  all  his  people  were 
prophets  and  that  he  would  put  his  spirit  upon  them 
all !  "  It  was  the  pronouncement  of  a  magnanimous, 
far-seeing,  just  and  godly  man.  He  had  no  sympa- 
thy with  the  self-opinionated  exclusiveness  of  Trades- 
unionism  in  the  service  of  God. 

If  there  is  any  country  on  earth  in  which  this  in- 
tolerant spirit  should  be  under  the  ban,  it  is  ours.  The 
fundamental  principle  of  the  Republic  is  laid  down  in 
the  Preamble  of  our  Declaration  of  Independence, 
where  it  is  affirmed  that  all  men  are  created  free  and 
equal  and  with  certain  inalienable  rights,  among 
which  are  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 
There  is  not  a  "  ring "  or  "  combine "  in  existing 
politics  which  is  not  a  distinct  violation  of  that  mani- 
festo of  civil  equality.  And  the  same  is  true  of  every 
movement  favoring  the  centralization  of  power  in  the 
hands  of  any  favored  class. 

It  is  proposed,  for  example,  to  arrest  the  tide  of 
immigration  which  flows  so  multitudinously  toward 
our  shores;  and  so  far  as  this  may  be  necessary  to 
prevent  our  country  from  becoming  the  dumping- 
ground  of  nations  beyond  the  sea,  well  and  good.  But 
no  restrictions  must  be  made  which  could  affect  our 
historic  position  as  a  refuge  for  the  oppressed  of  the 
whole  earth,  or  which  would  have  excluded  our  own 
penniless  and  persecuted  forefathers. 

It  is  proposed,  also,  to  place  restrictions  upon  the 
suffrage ;  and  this  too  is  necessary  so  far  forth  as  to 


INTOLERANCE  91 

close  our  doors  against  any  and  all  who  by  reason  of 
crime,  political  heresy  or  incurable  dependency  would 
be  burdensome  or  inimical  to  our  national  life.  But 
our  fundamental  principle  of  equality  involves  the 
corollary  of  universal  suffrage,  or,  to  use  Gladstone's 
phrase,  "  manhood  stiff  rage  " ;  by  which  is  meant,  not 
"  one  man,  one  vote,"  but  that  the  franchise  shall  be 
accessible  to  all.  Let  any  number  of  restrictions  be 
placed  upon  it ;  a  property  qualification,  an  educational 
qualification,  a  moral  qualification ;  the  ballot  must  still 
remain  within  the  reach  of  all.  The  citizenship  of 
this  Commonwealth  is  worth  climbing  for ;  but  it  must 
not  be  put  so  high  that  the  humblest  may  not  attain 
to  it. 

The  most  startling  proposition,  however,  in  behalf 
of  national  exclusion,  has  recently  been  made  by  the 
Governor  of  Mississippi,  who  in  his  Annual  Message 
declares  for  the  closing  of  the  public  schools  against 
the  black  people  who  constitute  a  majority  of  the  pop- 
ulation of  that  state,  on  the  ground  that  they  belong  to 
"  an  inferior  race."  This  is  obviously  at  odds  with 
our  constitutional  provision  that  no  discrimination 
shall  be  made  against  any  class  on  account  of  race, 
color  or  previous  condition  of  servitude.  It  is  irrec- 
oncilably and  fatally  at  odds  with  the  genius  of  our 
government  in  its  championship  of  human  equality 
and  the  rights  of  man. 

An  outcropping  of  the  same  intolerant  spirit  is  seen 
in  the  distinctions  which  prevail  in  social  life.  There 
ought  to  be,  and  is  of  necessity,  an  "  aristocracy  " 
among  us:  but  certainly  it  is  not  an  aristocracy  of 
parvenus,  and  still  more  certainly  not  of  tuft-hunters. 
It  is  based  on  no  adventitious  conditions  whatsoever, 


92  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

but  absolutely  and  only  on  personal  merit.  It  is  an 
aristocracy  of  character;  and  character  is  never  ex- 
clusive, but  splendidly  tolerant.  Character  keeps  open 
house ;  its  latchstring  is  always  out.  Character  never 
says  "  Keep  thy  place,"  but,  "  Come  in  and  sup  with 
me."  Our  friends  beyond  the  sea  are  fond  of  saying 
of  Americans  that  they  "  dearly  love  a  lord  " ;  but  this 
is  true  only  of  a  limited  and  by  no  means  the  most 
respected  class  of  our  people.  The  social  philosophy 
of  Robert  Burns  is  good  enough  for  all  true  Amer- 
icans : 

Is  there  for  honesty  poverty 

Wha  hangs  his  head,   and   a*  that? 
The  coward  slave,  we  pass  him  by; 

We  dare  be  poor  for  a'  that. 
For  a'  that  and  a'  that, 

Our  toils  obscure,  and  a'  that; 
The  rank  is  but  the  guinea's  stamp, 

The  man's  the  gowd  for  a'  that. 

What  though  on  hamely  fare  we  dine, 

Wear  hoddin  gray,   and  a'  that; 
Gie  fools  their  silks  and  knaves  their  wine; 

A  man's  a  man   for  a'   that. 
For  a'  that  and  a'  that, 

Their   tinsel    show,   and   a'   that; 
The  honest  man,  though  e'er  sae  poor. 

Is  king  o'  men  for  a'  that. 

A  prince  can  mak  a  belted  knight, 

A  marquis,  duke  and  a'  that; 
But  an  honest  man's  aboon  his  might — 

Guid   faith,  he   maunna  fa'   that! 
For  a  'that  and  a'  that, 

Their  dignities,  and  a'  that; 
The  pith  o'  sense,  and  pride  o'  worth, 

Are   higher   ranks   than    a'   that. 


INTOLERANCE  93 

Then  let  us  pray  that  come  it  may — 

As  come  it  will  for  a'  that — 
That  sense  and  worth,  o'er  a'  the  earth, 

May  bear  the  gree,  and  a'  that. 
For   a'   that,   and   a'   that, 

It's  coming  yet  for  a'  that — 
When  man  to  man,  the  warld  o'er, 

Shall  brothers  be   for  a'  that! 

It  is  our  present  purpose,  however,  to  lay  special 
emphasis  on  certain  manifestations  of  the  exclusive 
spirit  in  our  religious  life.  The  Church  is  a  divine 
ordinance,  having  been  instituted  by  Christ.  Its  name, 
ekklesia,  is  suggestive  of  exclusion ;  but  it  must  be 
observed  that  the  Church  is  distinctly  a  voluntary 
body  and  its  boundary  lines  are  such  as  to  exclude 
none  who  choose  to  enter  in.  It  is  an  association  of 
people  "  called  out "  of  the  world  and  "  separated  " 
from  it;  but  the  line  of  separation  is  that  of  a  simple 
faith  which  is  possible  to  all.  All  who  are  arrayed 
with  Christ  are  counted  in ;  all  who  are  arrayed  with 
Anti-Christ  are,  by  their  own  motion,  counted  out. 
There  is  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  Christ,  and 
there  should  be  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  those  who 
officially  represent  him,  to  exclude  any  from  the  bene- 
fits of  the  gospel  or  from  the  high  privileges  of  the 
Church  of  God. 

The  supreme  violation  of  this  hospitable  spirit  is 
represented  by  "  The  Establishment." 

You  will  find  intolerance  in  its  glory  wherever  a 
particular  denomination  is  under  the  patronage  of  the 
State.  In  conversation  with  a  Presbyterian  minister 
in  a  small  hamlet  in  Scotland,  my  casual  reference  to 
a  ministerial  brother  in  the  next  town  was  met  byj  the 


94  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

remark,  "  Aye ;  he's  well  enough ;  but  the  ministers  of 
the  Establishment  have  small  dealing  with  those  of  the 
Free  Kirk."  So  hard  dies  the  antipathy  of  the  Jew 
to  the  Samaritan !  This  Trades-union  man  was,  for- 
sooth, the  only  Churchman;  and  those  who  were  of 
another  way  of  thinking,  however  Christian  they 
might  be,  were  "  dissenters  "  or  "nonconformists  " ; 
and  their  places  of  assemblage  were  "  chapels "  or 
"  meeting  houses."  This  is  not  to  say  that  all  members 
of  a  State  Church  are  so  unfraternal,  only  that  the 
system  naturally  fosters  exclusiveness. 

If  we  congratulate  ourselves  that  this  particular 
form  of  intolerance  is  alien  to  our  American  life,  we 
are  bound  to  confess  ourselves  blameworthy  in  other 
ways.  Here,  for  example,  is  a  scholastic  coterie  which 
arrogates  to  itself  the  privilege  of  passing  judgment 
on  the  validity  and  integrity  of  the  Scriptures.  It  is 
made  up  chiefly  of  theological  professors,  who,  for- 
getful of  the  fact  that  "  no  Scripture  is  of  private  in- 
terpretation," insist  that  the  people  shall  keep  hands 
off  until  they  shall  have  determined  what  portion  is 
true  and  what  not.  The  protest  against  this  arrogant 
"  hold-up  "  is  not  on  the  part  of  the  people  only  (John 
vii,  49),  but  on  the  part  of  a  multitude  of  eminent 
scholars  who  with  all  the  force  of  sound  logic  and 
learning  dissent  from  it.  And  their  dissent  is  rein- 
forced by  the  word  of  Christ  himself,  who  said, 
"  Search  the  Scriptures  " ;  or,  "  Ye  search  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,  and 
these  are  they  which  testify  of  me." 

Sacerdotalism  is  another  form  of  the  same  narrow- 
mindedness. 

Doubtless   there   is   a   divine   call   to  the   ministry. 


INTOLERANCE  95 

Christ  set  apart  twelve  men  whom  he  designated  as 
"Apostles,"  and  whom  he  endowed  with  singular 
spiritual  gifts.  But  it  is  difficult  to  think  and  impos- 
sible to  prove  that  those  singular  gifts  and  endow- 
ments have  been  in  any  wise  transmitted  through  the 
ages.  The  ministry  is  set  apart  now,  as  ever,  for  the 
preservation  of  due  order  and  the  administration  of 
the  sacraments  and  discipline  in  the  Church ;  but  so 
far  as  service  goes,  that  is  free  for  all.  The  clergy 
do  not  constitute  a  Fishermen's  Union;  or,  if  so,  this 
Union  utters  no  caveat  against  those  who  are  outside 
of  it.  The  right  of  Christ  himself  to  preach  was 
challenged  by  the  ministers  of  his  time  who  sent  a 
"  walking  delegate  "  to  say  to  him,  as  he  was  speak- 
ing in  the  Temple  Porch,  "  By  what  authority  doest 
thou  these  things  ?  "  In  other  words,  they  wanted  to 
see  his  diploma,  his  certificate  of  licensure,  his  ordi- 
nation papers.  No  man  who  has  caught  the  true  spirit 
of  Jesus  can  ever  speak  in  that  way.  His  attitude  will 
rather  be  that  of  Paul,  who  said,  "  Some  indeed  preach 
Christ  even  of  envy  and  strife,  and  some  also  of  good 
will.  The  one  preach  Christ  of  contention,  not  sin- 
cerely, supposing  to  add  affliction  to  my  bonds;  but 
the  other  of  love,  knowing  that  I  am  set  for  the  de- 
fence of  the  gospel.  What  then?  Notwithstanding 
every  way,  whether  in  pretence  or  in  truth,  Christ  is 
preached;  and  I  therein  do  rejoice,  yea,  and  will  re- 
joice" (Phil,  i,  15-18). 

It  remains  to  say  that  Sectarianism  in  every  form 
whatsoever  is  intolerance. 

I  do  not  say  denominationalism ;  for  it  is  a  true 
proverb,  "  Fences  make  good  neighbors."  But  sec- 
tarianism speaks  on  this  wise :    "  The  Temple  of  the 


96  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

Lord  are  we  " ;  and,  as  a  rule,  the  more  insignificant 
the  sect,  the  more  exclusive  is  its  spirit.  There  are 
small  bodies  of  Calvinists  and  "  True-Seed  Baptists  " 
in  the  mountains  of  Tennessee  and  the  Carolinas  who 
hold  that  they  monopolize  the  benefits  of  grace.  A 
gentleman  said  to  a  Highland  woman  of  this  way  of 
thinking,  "  I  fear,  Janet,  you  are  of  the  opinion  that 
nobody  will  be  saved  but  you  and  your  minister." 
She  answered,  "  Aye ;  an'  whiles  I  hae  my  doots  of  the 
minister." 

The  teaching  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  very  opposite 
of  this.  He  said  to  the  religious  leaders  of  his  time, 
"  Woe  unto  you  scribes  and  Pharisees ;  for  ye  shut 
up  the  kingdom  of  heaven  against  men;  ye  neither  go 
in  yourselves,  nor  suffer  them  that  are  entering  to  go 
in"  (Matt,  xxiii,  13).  It  was  a  rebuke  to  the  spirit  of 
Trades-unionism  in  religion.  The  picture  is  that  of 
a  "  strike  "  at  the  gateway  of  heaven,  the  Pharisees 
saying,  "  We  will  not,  and  you  shall  not." 

And  Christ  found  it  necessary  to  administer  a  like 
rebuke  to  his  own  disciples.  John,  the  Apostle  of 
Love,  the  last  in  whom  we  should  expect  to  see  such 
narrowness,  came  to  him,  saying,  "  Master,  we  saw 
one  casting  out  devils  in  thy  name,  and  he  followeth 
not  us:  and  we  forbade  him,  because  he  followeth  not 
us."  And  Jesus  said,  "  Forbid  him  not :  for  there  is 
no  man  which  shall  do  a  miracle  in  my  name,  that 
can  lightly  speak  evil  of  me  "  (Mark  ix,  38,  39).  Now 
this  is  not  to  say  that  there  is  no  line  of  demarcation 
to  be  drawn  between  those  who  accept  Christ  and  those 
who  reject  him.  On  the  other  hand  there  is  a  pro- 
found emphasis  on  those  words,  "  In  my  name."  But 
the  reproof  is  addressed  to  the  suggestion  that  any 


INTOLERANCE  97 

are  to  be  excluded  from  service  because  "  they  follow 
not  us."  Blessed  be  God,  there  are  multitudes  who  do 
not  call  themselves  by  our  denominational  names  who 
love  Christ  in  sincerity  and  are  casting  out  devils  "  in 
his  name " ;  there  are  Greek  Christians,  Catholic 
Christians,  Protestant  Christians,  all  alike  of  the 
family  of  Christ.  Let  them  gang  their  ain  gait;  and 
may  the  heavenly  benediction  be  upon  them  all ! 

The  whole  tenor  of  the  teaching  of  Christ,  intended 
for  his  people  through  all  time,  is  against  the  ex- 
clusive spirit.  His  word  "  Come  "  is  addressed  to  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men ;  and  his  other  great  word 
"  Go  "  is  addressed  to  all  who  follow  him.  "  Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature!  Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges!  Go 
to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth;  and  constrain 
others  to  come  in  !  " 

How  difficult  it  was  for  him  to  persuade  his  dis- 
ciples that  he  meant  this.  They  were  offended  with 
him  for  talking  with  a  woman  of  Samaria.  They  were 
offended  with  him  for  receiving  the  kind  offices  of  "  a 
woman  who  was  a  sinner."  They  were  offended  with 
him  when  he  went  up  into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon  to  minister  to  those  who  were  not  of  the  house- 
hold of  Israel. 

He  led  the  way  when  he  said,  "  Go,"  but,  even  after 
his  crucifixion,  his  disciples  failed  to  grasp  his  mean- 
ing: they  tarried  in  Jerusalem  until  Stephen's  death 
drove  them  out.  Then  "  they  were  all  scattered  abroad 
throughout  the  regions  of  Judea  and  Samaria,  except 
the  Apostles ;  and  went  everywhere  preaching  the 
Word."  The  apostles  still  remained  in  the  Holy  City, 
not  ready  yet  to  welcome  the  Gentiles.    A  little  later 


98  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

we  find  Peter  at  Joppa,  the  seaport  of  Jerusalem, 
where  a  vision  came  to  him  of  a  sheet  let  down  from 
heaven,  wherein  were  all  manner  of  four-footed  beasts 
and  creeping  things  and  fowls  of  the  air.  And  a  voice 
said,  "  Arise,  Peter,  slay  and  eat."  He  answered, 
"  Not  so,  Lord ;  for  I  have  never  eaten  anything  that 
is  common  or  unclean."  The  Voice  said,  "  What  God 
hath  cleansed,  that  call  thou  not  common."  At  that 
moment  a  knocking  at  the  door  below  gave  a  clew  to 
the  vision ;  for  a  Gentile  Centurion  stood  there,  in- 
quiring after  "  Simon,  which  is  surnamed  Peter,"  and 
summoning  him  to  a  world-wide  ministry.  "  Of  a 
truth,"  said  Peter,  "  I  now  perceive  that  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons ;  but  in  every  nation  he  that  fear- 
eth  him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with 
him." 

Our  religion  is,  by  these  tokens,  the  broadest,  most 
inclusive,  comprehensive,  far-reaching,  magnanimous 
religion  that  ever  was  known  or  dreamed  of.  It  is 
the  very  antithesis  of  class  prejudice  and  bigotry.  It 
requires  one  thing  and  one  thing  only  of  the  penitent 
sinner,  to  wit,  a  frank,  honest,  unreserved  acceptance 
of  Christ ;  that  given,  all  the  rest  is  "  Go,  bring  others 
in ! "  There  is  room  in  the  Christian  Church  for  all 
sorts  of  Christians,  and  all  such  are  one  in  Christ. 
There  is  room  for  all  sorts  of  workers;  and  all  are 
expected  to  co-operate  for  him.  There  are  more  be- 
lievers in  the  world  than  we  think.  Many  hypocrites 
and  heretics,  no  doubt,  but  a  great  multitude  of  true 
followers  of  Christ.  What  is  this  that  he  says, 
"  Other  sheep  I  have  which  are  not  of  this  fold ;  them 
also  I  must  bring,  that  there  may  be  one  flock,  one 
shepherd  "  ? 


INTOLERANCE  99 

It  is  a  wide  world  that  we  are  living  in,  and  there 
is  room  for  all  to  walk  without  jostling  and  to  work 
without  let  or  hindrance.  The  harvest  truly  is  great 
and  the  laborers  so  few!  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest,  not  that  he  would  exclude  any  from  the 
field,  but  that  he  would  bring  multitudes  into  it.  Not 
that  he  would  multiply  the  number  of  those  that  "  fol- 
low us,"  but  the  number  of  those  that  cast  out  devils 
"  in  his  name."  The  right  to  serve  is  the  supreme 
privilege  of  the  Christian  life.  Ich  dicn  is  a  princely 
motto;  and  all  true  followers  of  Christ  may  bear  it 
embossed  upon  their  shields  whether  they  speak  our 
shibboleths  or  not.  There  are  those  among  the  Israel 
of  God  who  to  this  day  "  have  no  dealings  with  the 
Samaritans  " ;  but  the  Good  Samaritan  nevertheless 
goes  on  with  his  gracious  work  on  The  Bloody  Way. 

There  is  no  place  in  the  economy  of  the  Gospel  for 
envy  and  jealousy,  bigotry  and  exclusiveness.  The 
elder  brother  of  the  Prodigal,  contemplating  with 
black  looks  the  unconventional  merry-making  in  the 
Father's  house,  cuts  but  a  poor  figure  in  the  domestic 
annals  of  the  Church.  Let  him  find  his  seat  at  the 
table  and  join  in  the  general  rejoicing  over  the  return 
of  every  sinner  from  the  far  country. 


IX 

THE    LARGER    CHRIST 

In    which    a    fond    mother    is    strangely    used   to   teach    the 
doctrine  that  Salvation  is  for  all. 

A  Woman  of  Syro-Phccnicia:  "Have  mercy  on  me,  O 
Lord,  thou  son  of  David;  my  daughter  is  grievously 
vexed  with  a  demon." 

Jesus  makes  no  answer. 

The  Disciples:  "Send  her  away;  for  she  crieth  after 
us." 

Jesus:  "J  was  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel." 

The  Woman:    "Lord,  help  me." 

Jesus:  "It  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread 
and  cast  it  to  the  dogs." 

The  Woman:  "  Yea,  Lord:  for  even  the  dogs  eat  of 
the  crumbs  that  fall  from  their  masters'  table." 

Jesus:  "  O  woman,  great  is  thy  faith:  be  it  done  unto 
thee  even  as  thou  wilt." — Matt,  xv,  21-28. 

In  the  north  country,  among  the  hills  of  Syria, 
dwelt  a  woman  in  the  school  of  sorrow.  She  was  a 
lone  woman,  it  would  seem,  with  but  one  fledgling  in 
her  nest.  Her  only  child  was  an  invalid,  "  possessed 
of  an  unclean  spirit."  The  mother's  love — a  love  that 
many  waters  could  not  quench — was  betrayed  in  the 
fond  title,  "  my  little  daughter."  But  love  kept  com- 
pany with  shame  in  solitude ;  for  hers  was  a  nameless 
sorrow. 

A  picture  by  a  famous  artist  represents  a  woman 
sitting  on  a  ledge  of  rocks  beside  the  sea,  in  an  atti- 

100 


THE    LARGER    CHRIST  101 

tude  of  hopelessness,  staring  into  the  distance  with 
eyes  of  stony  grief.  Beside  her  hovers  the  Angel  of 
Hope,  touching  the  strings  of  a  lute ;  but  the  woman 
sees  not,  hears  not.  So  was  it  with  this  Syro-Pheni- 
cian  mother ;  the  music  of  consolation  was  not  for  her. 

Her  heart  was  breaking;  and  there  was  none  to 
help.  The  physicians  whom  she  consulted  pronounced 
the  case  incurable.  There  was  no  relief  in  prayer ; 
for  her  god  was  Baal,  the  god  of  the  Phenicians,  the 
god  of  the  Cold  Eyes.  In  vain  would  she  lay  her  sor- 
row before  him ;  "  there  was  no  voice  nor  answer  nor 
any  that  regarded." 

It  was  rumored  that  down  in  Galilee  a  prophet 
was  going  to  and  fro  among  the  villages  healing  all 
manner  of  diseases.  There  were  commercial  travel- 
ers— for  at  this  time  Phenicia  was  the  most  wealthy 
and  enterprising  of  commercial  nations — who  had 
met  him  in  Galilee ;  and  wonderful  were  the  tales  they 
told  of  his  miraculous  cures,  the  opening  of  blind 
eyes,  cleansing  of  lepers,  casting  out  of  evil  spirits. 
But  so  far  as  this  woman  could  learn,  his  benefactions 
were  confined  to  the  people  of  Israel,  whose  Messiah 
he  claimed  to  be. 

It  happened  just  then  that  Jesus,  wearied  by  the 
work  of  his  Galilean  ministry  and  persecuted  by  the 
ruling  faction  whom  he  had  mortally  offended,  came 
up  into  Syria  and  sought  retirement  in  the  obscure 
town  where  this  afflicted  mother  dwelt.  She  heard  of 
his  presence  and  straightway  sought  him  out.  It  was 
a  forlorn  hope.  She  knew  that,  as  an  alien  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel,  she  was  without  claim;  but 
her  great  love  constrained  her.  "  O  Lord,  thou  Son 
of  David,"  she  cried,  "  have  mercy  on  me  and  heal  my 


102  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

little  daughter !  "  It  was  the  appeal  of  quenchless 
love  and  baffled  hope.  What  could  "  the  Son  of 
David  "  be  to  her?  It  was  as  when  a  sailor  in  mid- 
ocean  waves  a  signal  of  distress  and  calls  to  a  ship 
passing  afar  off. 

I.  "  And  he  answered  her  not  a  word." 
Why?  Was  it  by  reason  of  indifference?  Oh,  no; 
he  always  heeded  the  cry  of  the  suffering ;  his  was  the 
gentlest  heart  that  ever  beat.  He  was  surely  not  in- 
different to  that  "  me  "  of  her  appeal,  in  which  she 
so  pathetically  identified  herself  with  her  ailing  child. 
Was  it  then  because  of  inability  to  help?  Not  so. 
There  was  no  limit  to  his  power;  he  was  fond  of 
applying  his  divine  skill  to  the  most  desperate  cases. 
It  is  recorded  that  when  he  passed  through  the  vil- 
lages the  people  brought  out  their  sick  and  laid  them 
in  couches  along  the  way ;  and  "  he  healed  them  all." 
No,  these  were  not  the  grounds  of  his  strange  silence. 
He  had  an  ulterior  purpose.  The  healing  of  this  wo- 
man's daughter  was  not  a  matter  of  supreme  moment ; 
he  fully  intended  to  grant  the  request,  but  merely  as 
a  relatively  unimportant  thing;  an  incident  in  the 
pathway  of  his  kindness  toward  her. 

The  woman's  faith,  as  manifest  in  her  appeal,  was 
but  a  feeble,  rudimental,  nascent  thing.  It  was  "  faith 
like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed  " ;  that  is,  small  but  with 
large  possibilities  in  it.  He  would  correct  and  foster 
it.  In  calling  him  "  Son  of  David  "  she  disclosed  the 
fact  that  she  wholly  misconceived  the  scope  of  his 
ministry  of  mercy.  Her  utmost  hope,  as  an  outsider, 
was  that  some  of  the  droppings  of  his  gracious  minis- 
try might  fall  on  her.  He  would  teach  her  that  he 
was   no  provincial   Christ,  that  his   mission   was   not 


THE    LARGER    CHRIST  103 

restricted  to  an  insignificant  tribe  of  people  dwelling 
in  a  small  Province  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  earth. 
No  such  "  pent-up  Utica  "  confined  his  powers.  He 
desired  to  be  known  as  the  Friend  and  Saviour  of  all 
nations  and  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  He  per- 
ceived that  her  mind  was  open,  as  fruitful  soil,  to 
receive  the  truth.  He  would  not  only  gladden  her 
soul  by  granting  her  immediate  desire,  but  would 
reveal  himself  aright  and  thus  kindle  in  her  a  saving 
faith  which  would  open  all  heaven  to  her  view  and 
make  her  a  true  child  of  God. 

The  disciples,  however,  had  no  conception  of  this 
purpose.  As  she  continued  her  frantic  appeals,  they 
said,  "  Send  her  away ;  she  crieth  after  us ; "  that  is, 
heal  her  and  let  her  go.  It  would  be  an  easy  matter, 
they  knew,  for  him  to  cast  the  evil  spirit  out  of  her 
daughter,  and  thus  be  rid  of  her  importunity.  Many 
of  the  humanitarians  of  our  time  reason  in  the  same 
way.  "  The  poor  and  the  suffering  are  all  about  us. 
Let  us  give  them  prescriptions  from  the  free  dispen- 
sary, and  let  them  go ;  give  them  bread  to  satisfy  their 
hunger,  and  let  them  go;  give  them  physical  comfort, 
manual  training,  secular  help  and  encouragement,  and 
let  them  go." 

But  this  is  not  the  philosophy  of  Christ.  He  knows 
that  deep  down  in  the  soul  of  the  average  man  there  is 
a  spiritual  cry  that  food  and  raiment  can  never  sat- 
isfy. To  feed  the  hungry  and  clothe  the  naked  and 
allow  them  to  pass  out  into  eternity  ignorant  of  their 
divine  birth  and  noble  destiny  and  unaware  of  the  pro- 
vision divinely  made  for  their  deliverance  from  sin 
and  the  just  penalties  that  follow  it,  is  but  a  grim 
travesty  of  kindness  and  a  mockery  of  human  need. 


104.  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

Nay,  not  "  Heal  them  and  let  them  go,"  but,  Hold 
them  in  the  healing  until  their  sin-stricken  souls  shall 
be  made  whole  and  gladdened  by  the  message  of  life. 

Jesus  was  silent  not  because  he  was  indifferent  to 
the  appeal  of  this  woman  or  unwilling  to  answer  it, 
but  because  he  intended  to  do  a  hundredfold  more 
than  she  had  dreamed  of  receiving  from  him. 

II.  In  answer  to  the  suggestion  of  his  disciples, 
he  said,  "  I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel." 

Now,  this  was  precisely  according  to  their  way  of 
thinking.  I  imagine  John  saying  quietly  to  Peter, 
"  We  should  have  known  it.  Of  course  he  could  not 
extend  his  benefactions  to  this  Gentile  woman ;  since 
he  is  exclusively  the  Messiah  of  the  Jews." 

This  was  the  prevailing  view.  Jesus  himself  had 
said,  "  Salvation  is  of  the  Jews."  Were  they  not  "  the 
chosen  people  "  ?  Had  not  the  Oracles  been  committed 
to  them — the  Oracles  in  which  were  enshrined  the 
age-old  prophecies  of  his  coming?  Was  he  not  known 
distinctively  as  the  "  Hope  of  Israel  "  ?  They  looked 
for  him  to  rebuild  their  shattered  fortunes  and  restore 
their  political  glory.  Why  should  the  Gentiles  think 
of  sharing  the  privileges  which  were  thus  intended  to 
be  the  exclusive  right  of  the  Jews? 

Now,  while  our  Lord  is  engaged  in  teaching  the 
Syro-Phenician  woman,  he  will  rid  his  disciples,  also, 
of  this  false  conception  of  his  mission.  He  will  show 
them  that  the  privilege  of  Israel  did  not  consist  in  any 
exclusive  monopoly  of  the  evangel,  but  in  the  respon- 
sibility of  passing  the  great  prophecy  along  the  ages 
until  the  Messiah  should  come  to  be  a  Saviour  for  all 
the  children  of  men. 


THE    LARGER    CHRIST  105 

The  words,  "  I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel,"  were  not  an  expression  of  the 
mind  of  Jesus,  but  of  the  opinions  entertained  by  his 
disciples.  They  were  spoken  in  irony ;  and  the  woman 
overhearing  them  apparently  detected  the  ironic 
note.  The  tone  of  his  voice,  the  kindly  light  in  his 
eyes,  betrayed  him.  She  continues  her  appeal,  but  the 
light  is  beginning  to  break  upon  her.  No  longer  does 
she  address  him  as  the  Son  of  David ;  but,  "  O  Lord, 
have  mercy  upon  me !  "  she  cries ;  and  falls  down  and 
worships  him.  Here  is  a  step  in  advance.  Her  heart 
is  teaching  her.  The  process  is  indeed  a  severe  one, 
this  education  of  her  simple  faith ;  not  unlike  an  oper- 
ation for  cataract  of  the  eyes.  The  film  is  not  yet 
removed,  but  there  is  a  little  light.  The  operation  is 
not  over ;  there  is  further  need  of  the  scalpel,  and,  ah, 
the  pain  of  it! 

III.  Hear  him :  "  It  is  not  meet,"  he  says  to  her, 
"  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  cast  it  to  the  dogs." 

Here  is  a  distinct  blow.  I  imagine  Peter  at  this 
point  turning  to  John  with  the  remark,  "  It  is  just  as 
I  supposed ;  as  the  '  minister  of  the  circumcision  '  he 
can  have  nothing  to  do  with  her.  Were  she  a  Jew, 
he  would  heal  her  daughter  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but 
she  is  an  outsider  and  an  alien.     He  belongs  to  us." 

What  then  ?  Woman's  wit  to  the  rescue !  Mother's 
love  to  the  rescue !  Dawning  hope  to  the  rescue ! 
A  great  dialectician  does  this  woman  prove  herself 
to  be.  "  Aye,  Lord,  but  even  the  dogs  have  the 
crumbs  that  fall  from  the  children's  table."  What 
but  love  immeasurable  could  thus  have  moved  a 
humble  woman  to  measure  swords  with  the  Mighty 
One? 


10f>  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

And  love  conquers  He  gives  her  the  freedom  of 
his  treasure  city.  Hear  his  answer,  "  O  woman,  great 
is  thy  faith ;  be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt."  And 
her  daughter  was  made  whole  from  that  very  hour. 

Here  the  curtain  falls.  She  went  away  laden  with 
the  blessings  of  grace.  Her  feet  were  winged  with 
hope  as  she  sped  to  her  home,  where  she  found  her 
daughter  "  healed  of  her  infirmity  and  laid  upon  the 
bed."  It  needs  no  effort  of  the  imagination  to  hear 
her  saying,  as  she  bends  over  the  convalescent,  "  Little 
daughter,  Jesus  hath  healed  thee!  He  spake  sternly, 
indeed ;  but  his  eyes  were  the  kindest  and  his  voice  the 
sweetest  on  earth.  Never  was  such  a  friend  and 
helper.     What  shall  we  render  unto  him  ?  " 

But  this  was  not  the  only  or  largest  of  her  bless- 
ings. She  took  with  her  a  new  thought  of  prayer, 
which  was  quite  in  line  with  the  Master's  teaching, 
"  Men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to  faint."  It  is 
a  lesson  for  all  parents  who  have  been  pleading,  years 
and  years,  for  wayward  sons  and  daughters.  Pray 
on,  pray  on!  In  due  season  ye  shall  reap  if  ye  faint 
not.  The  Lord  may  tarry  in  his  answering ;  but  his 
promise  is  sure,  "  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and 
ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 
The  times  and  the  seasons  are  indeed  with  him.  He 
may  put  our  faith  to  a  sore  trial ;  but  he  will  not  fail 
us.  His  orchard  is  full  of  trees,  and  all  of  them  are 
fruit  trees.  We  plead  for  apples,  but  we  must  wait 
until  his  apples  are  ripe.  Our  prayers  are  instant; 
"  Now !  Now !  "  we  cry ;  but  his  answers  are  all  dated 
with  the  fulness  of  time.  Therefore,  wait  on  the 
Lord ;  be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen 
thy  heart. 


THE    LARGER    CHRIST  107 

"  My    soul,    ask   what  thou    wilt, 
Thou  canst  not  be  too  bold." 

But  the  crowning  blessing  which  this  woman  re- 
ceived with  her  was  a  new  conception  of  Christ.  She 
had  learned,  at  length,  how  the  Vine  grows  over  the 
wall.  No  longer  could  she  think  of  Jesus  as  merely 
the  Messiah  of  the  Jews.  No  more  could  she  appeal 
to  him  as  one  afar  off.  She  had  made  the  acquaintance 
of  "  the  larger  Christ " ;  and  so  must  we. 

Let  us  not  suppose  that  the  church  has  an  ex- 
clusive right  in  him ;  since  the  incidental  blessings  of 
his  grace  fall  even  upon  those  who  reject  him.  He  is 
not  a  Christ  for  the  wise  or  the  respectable  alone ;  nay, 
behold  him  "  eating  with  publicans  and  sinners."  The 
drunkard  and  the  drab  are  included  in  his  mighty  plan 
and  purpose  of  salvation ;  and  the  same  promise  which 
comes  to  us  is  extended  to  them :  "  He  that  believeth 
hath  everlasting  life."  He  is  not  the  Christ  of 
Christendom  exclusively,  but  of  the  regions  beyond, 
as  well ;  the  regions  that  lie  in  darkness  and  the  shadow 
of  death.  And  woe  be  to  us,  to  whom  the  oracles  are 
entrusted,  if  we  carry  not  his  message,  "  Look  unto  me 
all  ye  ends  of  the  earth  and  be  ye  saved !  " 

It  is  written  that  after  this  interview  with  this 
Syro-Phenician  woman,  Jesus  "  departed  from  thence 
and  came  nigh  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  went  up  into 
a  mountain  and  sat  down ;  and  great  multitudes  came 
unto  him,  having  with  them  the  lame  and  blind,  the 
dumb  and  maimed,  and  cast  them  down  at  Jesus'  feet ; 
and  he  healed  them  all ;  insomuch  that  they  glorified 
God."  So  does  he  sit  upon  his  throne  in  heaven,  while 
vast  processions  of  the  redeemed  throng  through  the 
gates.    They  come  from  the  east  and  west,  from  the 


108  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

north  and  the  south,  and  sit  down  with  him  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  There  are  Jews  and  Greeks,  Bar- 
barians, Scythians,  bond  and  free.  Oh,  this  universal 
salvation  !  This  cosmopolitan  Christ !  Would  that  we 
might  apprehend  him  as  he  is :  a  Christ  without 
bounds  or  limitations.  His  love  is  like  the  sea  which 
rolls  upon  all  shores,  creeping  up  into  all  their  bays 
and  estuaries.  There  is  no  saying  to  him,  "  Thus  far 
and  no  further  " !  He  is  able  to  save  unto  the  utter- 
most; and  willing  as  he  is  able.  This  is  the  love  that 
passeth  knowledge.  Oh,  the  length  and  breadth  and 
depth  and  height  of  it! 

Go  ye,  therefore,  and  evangelize  all  nations.  There 
are  numberless  souls  in  "  the  regions  beyond  "  waiting 
for  the  blessings  that  have  made  Christendom  what  it 
is.  Why  tarry  we  in  the  sheepfolds  listening  to  the 
bleating  of  our  flocks,  when  the  lost  sheep  of  pagan- 
dom are  out  on  the  dark  mountains?  Go  ye  into  the 
city  slums  and  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges; 
follow  the  footsteps  of  the  Master  up  into  the  coasts 
of  Tyre  and  Sidon ;  seek  the  wandering  to  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth!  These  are  the  marching 
orders  of  our  Lord.  He  came  from  heaven  to  seek 
and  save  the  lost,  and  to  us  he  said,  "  As  the  Father 
hath  sent  me  into  the  world,  so  send  I  you."  Oh,  for 
an  enlargement  of  heart  to  grasp  the  glorious  gospel 
of  the  larger  Christ !  His  blood  flowed  most  freely  in 
streams  of  salvation.  There  is  blood  enough  in  the 
fountain  to  wash  away  the  whole  world's  sin.  Tell 
it  out,  O  follower  of  Christ! 


'There's  a  wideness  in  his  mercy 
Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea." 


X 

"BLESSED    BE    DRUDGERY" 

In  which  a  cumbered  housewife  is  rebuked  for  worrying  and 
advised  as  to  the  better  part. 

Martha:  "Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister 
did  leave  me  to  serve  alone?  bid  her  therefore  that  she 
help  me." 

Jesus:  "Martha,  Martha,  thou  art  anxious  and 
troubled  about  many  things:  but  one  thing  is  needful: 
for  Mary  hath  chosen  the  good  part,  which  shall  not  be 
taken  away  from  her." — Luke  x,  38-42. 

In  the  village  of  Bethany  on  the  slope  of  Mount 
Olivet,  a  mile  or  two  from  Jerusalem,  was  one  of  the 
homes  where  Jesus,  himself  a  homeless  man,  was 
made  a  welcome  guest.  It  was  his  custom,  when  in 
attendance  on  the  great  festivals,  to  sojourn  here; 
going  into  the  city  in  the  morning  to  preach  and  re- 
turning at  the  close  of  day. 

The  inmates  of  this  home  were  Simon  and  Martha, 
probably  his  wife,  with  her  brother  and  younger  sister. 
The  head  of  the  household  was  known  as  "  Simon  the 
Leper,"  possibly  because  he  had  been  thus  afflicted 
and  Jesus  had  healed  him.  As  to  Lazarus,  it  will  be 
observed  that  his  name  is  not  mentioned  here,  while 
Bethany  itself  is  referred  to  as  "  a  certain  village." 
No  doubt  this  was  due  to  the  hostility  which  had  been 
provoked  by  the  raising  of  Lazarus.  In  John's  Gos- 
pel, however,  the  names  of  the  village  and  of  all  parties 
concerned  are  given.  The  reason  is  obvious:  John 
wrote  at  the  close  of  the  first  century,  when  all  the 

109 


110  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

facts  might  be  stated  with  impunity,  since  Jerusalem 
had  been  destroyed  and  Bethany  itself  was  in  ruins. 

It  appears  that  Christ  on  his  round  of  duties  had 
come  to  Bethany  and  was  entertained  as  usual  in  this 
favored  home.  His  disciples  were  with  him ;  some  of 
the  townspeople  dropped  in.  He  gathered  them  about 
him,  very  likely  in  the  open  court  of  the  house,  and 
taught  them  the  things  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

While  this  service  was  going  on,  the  sound  of  rat- 
tling pans  and  kettles  and  dishes  could  be  heard  from 
the  kitchen  near  by.  Martha,  the  housewife,  was  there 
preparing  the  dinner ;  and  she  was  much  annoyed  by 
the  fact  that  her  sister  Mary,  having  gone  in  with  the 
congregation,  was  taking  no  part  with  her. 

The  more  she  thought  about  this  matter,  the  more 
unfair  it  seemed.  She  was  flushed  and  excited  by  the 
demands  of  the  occasion.  The  house  was  full  of  com- 
pany, a  distinguished  guest  was  being  entertained,  a 
dozen  things  were  clamoring  to  be  done  at  once;  and 
there  sat  her  sister  all  unconcerned,  listening  to  Christ. 
She  kept  her  rising  anger  to  herself  as  long  as  possible 
and  then  ran  to  Jesus  with  it.  The  word  rendered 
"  came  "  is  the  same  which  is  used  of  the  sudden  com- 
ing of  the  Great  Day.  It  suggests  that  she  came  hur- 
riedly, briskly,  impetuously.  It  would  appear  that  she 
broke  in  upon  the  service  with  her  complaint,  "  Lord, 
dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister  hath  left  me  to  serve 
alone?  Bid  her  therefore  that  she  help  me."  The 
reply  was  full  of  tender  reproof,  "  Martha,  Martha, 
thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things;  but 
one  thing  is  needful :  and  Mary  hath  chosen  that  good 
part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  Martha  was  a  wholly 


"BLESSED    BE    DRUDGERY"         111 

worldly-minded  woman.  On  the  contrary,  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  she  was  a  true  follower  of 
Christ.  The  fact  that  she  called  him  "  Lord  "  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  she  sincerely  desired  to  obey  and 
serve  him.  Her  Christian  character  is  evidenced,  also, 
by  her  cordial  hospitality.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
at  this  time  Jesus  was  an  outlawed  man.  By  his  teach- 
ing and  miracles  he  had  so  provoked  the  hostility  of 
the  religious  leaders  that  practically  there  was  a  price 
upon  his  head.  But  Martha  believed  in  him  and  loved 
him  so  earnestly  that  the  danger  did  not  appall  her. 
Had  he  not  healed  her  husband  of  leprosy?  Had  he 
not  given  her  assurance  of  the  pardon  of  sins?  The 
freedom  of  her  home  was,  indeed,  but  a  slight  return 
for  his  kindness. 

She  showed  her  devotion  to  Jesus  by  her  strenuous 
desire  to  set  the  very  best  before  him.  He  had  done 
so  much  for  the  members  of  her  household  that  noth- 
ing was  too  good  for  him.  In  the  journal  of  Queen 
Victoria  it  is  related  that,  as  she  was  going  through 
the  Highlands,  she  stopped  at  a  crofter's  cottage  to 
rest.  The  housewife,  naturally  overwhelmed  by  the 
sense  of  the  high  honor,  pressed  all  manner  of  atten- 
tions upon  her  royal  guest,  and  when  the  brief  visit 
was  over,  she  turned  the  chair  which  had  been  occu- 
pied by  the  Queen  to  the  wall,  saying,  "  Your  Majesty, 
no  one  shall  ever  sit  in  this  again,  since  you  have 
occupied  it."  No  doubt  some  such  feeling  as  this 
was  in  the  heart  of  Martha  as  she  bussed  herself  in 
preparing  the  meal  for  her  beloved  guest. 

And  apart  from  the  fact  that  she  was  manifestly  a 
Christian,  it  should  be  remarked  that  she  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  most  useful  class  of  women.    Die  hans- 


112  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

fraucn;  the  busy  housewives.  How  should  we  get  on 
without  them?  The  tidy,  industrious,  bountiful  pro- 
viders who  make  our  homes  the  happiest  places  on 
earth  for  us ! 

You  will  find  the  picture  of  one  of  them  in  the 
words  of  King  Lemuel,  in  the  last  chapter  of  the 
Book  of  Proverbs :  "  Who  shall  find  a  worthy  woman  ? 
Her  price  is  far  above  rubies !  She  riseth  before  the 
break  of  day  to  give  meat  to  her  household.  She 
girdeth  her  loins  with  strength  and  worketh  willingly 
with  her  hands.  She  maketh  linen  and  girdles.  She 
looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household  and  eateth 
not  the  bread  of  idleness.  The  heart  of  her  husband 
doth  safely  trust  in  her.  Her  children  rise  up  and  call 
her  blessed.  Her  neighbors  say,  '  Many  daughters 
have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them  all." 

We  need  not,  however,  go  back  through  the  cen- 
turies. The  world  is  full  of  brave  home-keepers ; 
some  of  them  in  charge  of  splendid  mansions,  others 
in  humbler  life,  devoting  themselves  with  heroic  self- 
sacrifice  to  the  keeping  of  the  wolf  from  the  door. 
They  live  their  earnest  life  without  the  blare  of 
trumpets.  They  are  content  to  toil  like  Browning's 
Angel  who  took  the  place  of  an  apprentice  at  his 
bench, 

"  He  did  God's  will ;  to  him  all  one, 
If  in  the  earth  or  in  the  sun." 

It  may  be  that  your  mother  was  such  a  woman ; 
her  face  comes  up  before  you  now.  She  is  "  tidying 
up  "  the  old  home.  Perhaps  the  minister  is  coming  on 
his  "  circuit "  next  Lord's  day.  She  is  in  the  kitchen, 
making  bread,  the  flour  dust  on  her  arms.    So  busy ! 


"BLESSED    BE    DRUDGERY"         113 

And  possibly  a  little  impatient  of  your  presence  there. 
All  honor  to  the  diligent  housewife  !  "  Give  her  of  the 
fruit  of  her  hands,  and  let  her  works  praise  her  in 
the  gates." 

But  as  to  Martha,  there  is  something  to  be  said  on 
the  other  side.  To  begin  with,  her  housework  was 
ill-timed.  She  should  have  waited.  She  should  have 
known  that,  however  important  the  preparation  of  this 
repast  might  be,  it  was  still  more  important  just  then 
that  she  should  be  at  the  service  listening  to  what  Jesus 
might  say.  Had  she  been  reminded  of  this  she  would 
probably  have  replied,  "  I  haven't  time."  How  many 
there  are  who  excuse  themselves  from  religious  obliga- 
tion in  the  same  way.  Oh,  these  busy  people  who 
never  have  time!  No  time  to  go  to  church;  no  time 
for  the  prayer  meeting;  no  time  to  read  their  Bibles; 
no  time  for  closet  devotions ;  no  time  for  missionary 
work;  no  time  to  sit  at  Jesus'  feet;  no  time  for  any- 
thing but  grinding  like  Samson  at  the  mill. 

And,  further,  Martha  was  "  cumbered "  by  her 
work.  She  was  anxious  and  distracted.  Wrinkles 
of  care  were  on  her  forehead  and  crow's  feet  about 
her  eyes.  She  should  have  remembered  what  Jesus 
said,  "  Take  no  anxious  thought,  saying,  What  shall 
we  eat?  Consider  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  the  lilies 
of  the  field ;  they  fret  not,  worry  not,  yet  your  Father 
careth  for  them.  Are  ye  not  of  much  more  value  than 
they?" 

"  Ah,  but,"  she  would  have  said,  "  some  one  must 
be  doing  these  things."  No;  nobody  must  be  doing 
them.  Work  is  necessary;  but  worry  never.  There 
is  no  room  on  earth  for  a  frown,  certainly  not  for  a 
Christian's  frown.     Worry  never  helps,  it  only  hin- 


114  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

ders.  One  has  but  to  observe  the  faces  of  those  who 
pass  along  the  streets  to  learn  how  the  world  is  bur- 
dened with  over-solicitude.  A  Frenchman  who  re- 
cently visited  New  York  said,  "  Every  man  I  meet 
looks  as  if  he  had  gone  out  to  borrow  trouble."  We 
grow  stronger  by  toil,  but  fret  bows  our  shoulders 
and  turns  us  prematurely  gray.  To  work  is  a  duty ;  to 
worry  is  a  sin. 

It  appears,  moreover,  that  Martha  was  a  censorious 
woman.  She  bore  her  burden  in  the  kitchen  as  long 
as  she  could  and  then  bustled  away  to  Jesus  with  it. 
She  was  not  merely  a  fault-finder,  but  something  of  a 
scold  withal.  It  is  not  going  too  far  to  say  that  prob- 
ably the  younger  sister  had  some  reasonable  ground 
of  complaint  against  her.  The  habit  of  scolding  has 
darkened  the  atmosphere  of  many  an  otherwise  happy 
home.  A  fortnight  ago  a  girl  of  fourteen  committed 
suicide  in  New  York  and  left  a  note  saying,  "  When 
I  awoke  this  morning,  father  scolded  me ;  and  when  I 
went  to  school,  mother  scolded  me ;  and  because  I 
didn't  have  my  lessons,  the  teacher  scolded  me;  and 
there's  no  use  of  living,  anyway." 

The  habit  of  fault-finding  had  so  grown  on  Martha 
that,  not  content  with  criticising  her  sister,  she  must 
needs  speak  petulantly  to  Jesus  himself.  "  Carest  thou 
not,"  she  cried,  "  that  my  sister  hath  left  me  to  serve 
alone  ?  "  And  this  is  the  rule ;  one  who  allows  him- 
self to  be  habitually  critical  toward  his  fellows  will 
be  very  sure  to  end  by  finding  fault  with  Providence. 
I  wonder  what  such  people  will  do  when  they  get  to 
heaven  and  find  everything  just  right;  the  temperature 
comfortable,  the  sunlight  properly  adjusted,  their 
harps  in  tune,  and  their  halos  a  perfect  fit. 


"BLESSED    BE    DRUDGERY"         115 

What  did  Martha  need?  One  thing  only.  She 
needed  to  drop  her  cares  and  rest  awhile  at  Jesus'  feet. 
He  said,  "  One  thing  is  needful :  and  Mary  hath 
chosen  the  good  part."  What  did  he  mean  by  "  the 
good  part "  ?  The  word  meris  is  the  same  which  is 
used  in  the  incident  of  the  foot  washing,  where  Jesus 
said  to  Peter,  "  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part 
with  me  " ;  and  in  the  division  of  the  seamless  robe, 
where  it  is  said,  "  The  soldiers  divided  it  into  four 
parts,  to  every  one  a  part  " ;  and  again  in  the  last  chap- 
ter of  the  Bible :  "  If  any  man  shall  take  away  from 
the  words  of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take 
away  his  part  out  of  the  Book  of  Life."  It  means  a 
"  part  and  lot "  in  Christ,  a  share  in  the  division  of  his 
love,  a  vital  interest  with  him. 

In  saying  that  Mary  had  this  "  good  part,"  the  Lord 
does  not  suggest  that  Martha  was  without  it,  only  that 
she  did  not  give  it  the  pre-eminent  place.  It  must  so 
overshadow  all  that  nothing  else  can  be  compared 
with  it. 

Now  this  is  not  to  say  that  meditative  piety  is  the 
only  sort.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  quite  possible  to 
err  in  this  direction.  There  are  those  who  would  build 
tabernacles  on  the  Mount  of  Vision  and  abide  there, 
deaf  to  the  cry  of  the  demoniac  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  and  blind  to  fields  yellow  for  the  harvest. 
We  sing, 

"  Oh,  that  I  could  forever  sit 
Like  Mary  at  the  Master's  feet; 
Be  this  my  constant  choice, 
My  only  care,  delight  and  bliss, 
My  joy  on  earth  and  heaven  be  this 
To  hear  the  Bridegroom's  voice." 


116  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

But  the  voice  of  the  Bridegroom  is  also  the  voice 
of  the  Master,  calling  us  away  from  dreams  and 
visions,  "  Go  ye  into  the  highways  and  hedges  and 
constrain  them  to  come  in !  "  There  is  work  to  be 
done  and  work  is  the  great  matter  in  the  Christian 
life.  Dreams  and  visions  are  helpful  to  self-culture, 
but  service  is  in  the  behalf  of  others,  wherefore,  Jesus 
said,  "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness."  It  is  well  to  pray,  to  read  our  Bibles 
and  go  to  church ;  but  these  are  means  to  an  end,  and 
the  end  is  the  conquest  of  the  world  for  Christ. 

The  ideal  Christian  is  the  Mystic  at  Work.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that,  when  the  Master's  teaching  at  the 
Bethany  home  was  over,  Mary  went  straightway  into 
the  kitchen.  And  the  two  sisters,  toiling  together, 
must  have  afforded  a  striking  contrast :  One  of  them 
flushed  and  querulous;  the  other  equally  busy,  but 
singing  in  her  heart  because  she  had  taken  "  the  good 
part "  into  the  kitchen  with  her.  And  her  work  was 
all  the  more  thoroughly  done  because  she  knew  that 
she  loved  Christ  and  she  knew  that  he  loved  her. 

"A  servant  with  this  clause 
Makes  drudgery  divine; 
Who  sweeps  a  room  as  to  God's  laws 
Makes  that  and  the  action  fine." 

It  was  four  months  afterward  that,  in  the  same  house 
at  Bethany,  an  incident  occurred  which  put  the  devo- 
tion of  Mary  to  the  test.  It  seems  she  had  a  cherished 
treasure,  an  alabaster  box  of  precious  spikenard ;  and, 
as  Jesus  was  teaching,  she  brought  this  box  of  oint- 
ment and  broke  it  (as  if  to  indicate  that,  having 
served  its  high  purpose,  it  should  thenceforth  find  no 


"BLESSED    BE    DRUDGERY"         117 

further  use),  and  anointed  his  head  and  feet.  The 
disciples  murmured,  saying,  "  What  a  waste !  This 
ointment  might  have  been  sold  for  two  hundred  pence 
(a  large  amount  of  money  in  those  days)  and  given 
to  the  poor."  But  Jesus  said,  "  Let  her  alone ;  she 
hath  wrought  a  good  work  on  me."  So  the  "  good 
part "  finds  its  fruitage  in  the  "  good  work  " ;  and  the 
good  work  finds  its  end  upon  him. 

The  lesson  here  is  particularly  for  earnest  women- 
folk. In  these  days  all  doors  of  usefulness  are  open. 
Let  them  enter  where  they  will ;  but,  whether  their 
energies  be  given  to  the  home  life  or  handicraft  or 
professional  work,  they  are  bound  under  all  circum- 
stances, by  all  considerations  of  gratitude,  to  serve 
Christ  every  way.  It  is  inconceivable  how  any  woman 
can  withhold  her  love  and  service  from  him.  A  non- 
Christian  woman  is  a  living  incongruity.  Think  what 
Christ  has  done  for  womanhood!  Reflect  on  the  ha- 
rems of  India  and  the  poor  women  of  China  and  other 
pagan  countries.  If  the  doors  of  honor  and  usefulness 
are  open  to  the  women  of  Christendom,  it  is  because 
"  the  Lord  of  all  good  Christians  was  of  a  woman 
born  "  and  because  the  result  of  his  Gospel  has  been 
to  uplift  them  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children 
of  God."  It  is  therefore,  pre-eminently,  the  "  good 
part "  of  all  right-thinking  women  to  take  Christ  as 
their  Saviour  and  friend  and  pay  their  meed  of  grati- 
tude to  him.  This  is  the  enduring  "  part "  of  life. 
All  else  will  vanish — personal  charms,  wealth,  gifts 
and  accomplishments ;  but  of  this  Jesus  said,  "  It  shall 
never  be  taken  away  from  her." 


XI 

HOME    MINISTRIES 

In  which  a  husband,  ambitious  to  serve  Christ,  is  advised 
to  go  down  to  his  own  house  and  show  what  great 
things  the  Lord  has  done  for  him. 

And  as  he  was  entering  into  the  boat,  he  that  had  been 
possessed  with  demons  besought  him  that  he  might  be 
with  him. 

Jesus:  "  Go  to  thy  house  unto  thy  friends,  and  tell 
them  how  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,  and 
how  he  had  mercy  on  thee." 

And  he  went  his  zvay,  and  began  to  publish  in  Decapo- 
lis  how  great  things  Jesus  had  done  for  him:  and  all 
men  marvelled. — Mark  v,   18-20. 

The  central  figure  in  the  miracle  of  Gadara  is  a 
mere  silhouette ;  but  the  important  facts  are  so  clearly 
stated  that  we  have  no  difficulty  in  completing  it. 
We  know,  to  begin  with,  that  this  man  had  a  home; 
though,  under  present  circumstances,  it  was  little  or 
nothing  to  him.  He  had  begun  life  in  the  usual  way, 
leading  his  true  love  from  the  altar  to  a  modest  fire- 
side. How  bright  the  outlook,  then !  How  proud  and 
happy  the  young  parents  in  the  midst  of  their  increas- 
ing household. 

"  His  wee  bit  ingle,  blinking  bonnily, 

His  clean  hearthstane,  his  thriftie  wifie's  smile, 
The  lisping  infant  prattling  on  his  knee, 
Does  a'  his  weary  carking  cares  beguile, 
And  makes  him  quite  forget  his  labor  and  his  toil." 

118 


HOME    MINISTRIES  119 

But  why  should  a  man  with  a  home  be  dwelling 
here  among  the  tombs  ?  How  came  he  to  this  desolate 
place?  It  is  the  old  story.  Facilis  descensus  Averni! 
He  had  sinned  away  his  birthright.  His  downward 
course  began,  no  doubt,  with  the  intoxicating  cup. 
One  vice  followed  another  until  the  force  of  habit 
controlled  him.  Bad  company,  nights  away  from 
home,  sensuality ;  thus  he  went  from  bad  to  worse 
until  the  happy  home  was  desolate,  his  wife's  heart 
broken,  his  children  afraid  of  him.  At  length  reason 
was  unseated.  "  Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked ; 
whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap." 
His  heart  being  open,  a  troop  of  evil  spirits  came  in 
and  took  possession.  The  law  was  invoked  in  vain ; 
he  broke  his  chains  and  fled.  And  here  he  is  among 
the  tombs,  a  raving  maniac,  muttering  to  himself  and 
making  night  hideous  with  his  cries.  He  has  lost 
everything;  home,  social  standing,  self-respect.  His 
is,  indeed,  a  desperate  case. 

One  day  the  Lord  came  over  the  lake  in  a  little 
boat  with  his  disciples.  On  the  way  he  quieted  the 
stormy  sea.  As  they  were  landing,  the  demoniac  came 
running  toward  them,  his  hair  flying,  his  clothes  in 
tatters,  his  face  distorted,  foam  issuing  from  his  lips. 
Oh,  monstrous  power  of  sin ! 

And  Jesus  said,  "  Thou  unclean  spirit,  come  out  of 
him."  At  that  word  of  command  the  furies  fled  and 
the  man  lay  sobbing  before  his  feet. 

It  was  a  mighty  miracle,  mightier  than  the  stilling 
of  the  tempest.  No  other  marvel  is  comparable  with 
the  transformation  of  character.  "  'Twas  great  to  call 
a  world  from  naught,  'tis  greater  to  redeem."  This 
man  is  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus ;  new  will,  new 


120  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

heart,  new  conscience,  new  life.  Old  things  are 
passed  away ;  behold,  all  things  are  become  new.  It 
is  a  moral  revolution,  wrought  in  a  moment  by  the 
power  of  God. 

How  do  we  know  that  the  demoniac  was  thus  re- 
newed? By  the  fact  that  we  see  him  presently 
"  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind."  This  means  that  he 
has  regained  his  self-respect.  Yesterday  he  would 
have  boasted  of  his  personal  liberty,  his  right  to  be 
clothed  or  unclothed  as  he  pleased ;  now  he  is  thinking 
not  of  himself  only,  but  of  his  fellow-men. 

He  is  "  in  his  right  mind."  Previously  he  had  been 
wrong-minded  as  to  all  most-important  things ;  but 
now,  like  the  prodigal,  he  has  "  come  to  himself " 
and  sees  Christ  and  religion  and  morality  in  their 
proper  light. 

And  observe  his  frank  confession  of  Christ.  He 
attaches  himself  to  this  despised  Nazarene  and  cares 
not  who  knows  it.  The  desire  to  keep  one's  religion 
under  cover  is  always  a  suspicious  circumstance. 
Viola,  in  "  Twelfth  Night,"  says  of  her  diffident  sis- 
ter, "  She  never  told  her  love,  but  let  concealment, 
like  a  worm  i'  the  bud,  feed  on  her  damask  cheek." 
A  shrinking  girl  under  such  conditions  might  act  in 
this  manner:  but  it  is  inconceivable  that  a  man  under 
conviction  of  sin,  looking  to  Christ  for  salvation, 
should  be  unwilling  to  avow  it. 

Let  it  be  noted,  also,  that  he  wanted  to  do  some- 
thing to  show  his  gratitude.  This  is  the  first  impulse 
of  a  truly  regenerate  life.  A  surrender  to  Christ  is 
not  the  sum  total  of  the  Christian  life,  but  only  the 
beginning  of  it.  In  the  hour  when  Paul  heard  the 
voice  saying,  "  I  am  Jesus !  "  he  straightway  answered, 


HOME    MINISTRIES  121 

"  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  And  his 
subsequent  life  was  all  doing.  "  If  any  man  will  come 
after  me,"  said  Jesus,  "  let  him  deny  himself,  take  up 
his  cross  and  follow  me."  There  is  no  discharge  in 
this  war. 

Still  further,  the  man  of  Gadara  is  ambitious  to  do 
some  great  thing.  "  Let  me  be  with  thee,"  he  cries. 
"  Let  me  sit  at  thy  feet  as  a  disciple.  Let  me  follow 
thee.  Let  me  join  in  proclaiming  thy  glory  as  the 
Saviour  of  men."  So  far  as  personal  experience  went 
he  was  thoroughly  qualified  to  be  a  preacher  like 
James  or  Peter  or  John ;  but  otherwise  he  had  scant 
qualifications.  Every  man  to  his  place.  "  The  body  is 
not  one  member,  but  many.  Shall  the  foot  say,  Be- 
cause I  am  not  the  hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body?  Or 
the  ear,  Because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am  not  of  the 
body?  Are  all  apostles,  all  prophets,  all  teachers? 
There  are  diversities  of  gifts  and  of  operation;  but 
it  is  the  same  God  which  worketh  all  in  all." 

The  supreme  evidence  of  this  man's  conversion, 
however,  was  his  acquiescence  in  the  Master's  will, 
"  Go  home  to  thy  friends,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  tell  what 
great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee." 

I  wish  we  might  have  seen  his  home-coming.  It 
may  be  that  an  old  mother  had  for  years  been  praying 
for  his  return  and  hoping  against  hope.  God  bless 
the  faithful  mothers,  who  pray  and  never  faint !  There 
she  sat,  her  withered  hands  folded  in  her  lap,  as  he 
stood  in  the  doorway.  Who  shall  tell  the  gladness  in 
her  heart?  Who  shall  paint  the  brightness  in  her 
dimmed  eyes? 

It  would  appear  that  a  wife  also  awaited  him.  Time 
was  when  she  passed  with  him  under  an  arch  of  flow- 


122  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

ers  into  the  joys  and  cares  of  wedded  life.  He  had 
promised  to  love,  honor  and  protect  her.  But  in  the 
course  of  the  years  there  came  a  cooling  of  love,  neg- 
lect, absence  far  into  the  night,  a  returning  with  red 
eyes  and  angry  words,  and  oh,  the  horrible  breath  of 
the  wine-cup.  Then,  one  night,  he  did  not  return  at 
all.  Where  had  he  gone  ?  Some  of  the  neighbors  had 
seen  him  wandering  among  the  tombs,  gashed  and 
bleeding,  muttering  to  himself.  And  there  he  abode, 
self-exiled.  On  stormy  nights  she  lay  awake  and 
thought  of  him. — God  be  praised  for  conjugal  love; 
the  love  of  the  faithful  wife  that  weathers  all  gales; 
the  patience  that  holds  fast  to  early  vows  and  the 
memory  of  former  joys  and  the  hope  of  a  better  time 
coming. — He  sees  her  standing  yonder  by  the  door. 
"  Wife,  I've  come  back,"  he  cries.  "  I've  come  back  to 
begin  again.  I've  seen  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  he  has 
cast  out  the  demons.  I  want  to  return  to  you  and  the 
children;  to  life  and  God." 

And  his  children,  how  they  had  dreaded  his  ap- 
proach !  They  knew  his  savage  ways.  They  had 
been  accustomed  to  run  and  hide  when  foe  drew  near, 
waving  his  arms  and  uttering  blasphemies.  Now  they 
stood  at  a  distance,  awe-struck  and  wondering;  they 
had  never  seen  it  on  this  fashion.  "  Come  here,"  he 
says,  "  little  daughter,  I  will  not  hurt  you  " ;  and  the 
eldest  reluctantly  approaches.  He  parts  her  hair  from 
her  forehead  and  with  sad,  loving  words  makes  his 
confession,  "  I've  been  a  bad  father,  dear ;  but  I've  met 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  the  demons  are  gone."  His 
other  children  sidle  near,  wondering.  At  what?  At 
the  same  mystery  of  regeneration  which  puzzles  the 
older  people.    And  they  allow  themselves  to  be  taken 


HOME    MINISTRIES  123 

upon  his  knees.  He  kisses  them  one  by  one,  and  the 
past  is  gone ! 

Yonder  on  the  wall  is  a  chain  hanging.  "  Let  us 
take  it  down,  good  wife.  Please  God,  you  shall  never 
call  in  the  neighbors  to  bind  me  again."  And  as  he 
looks  this  way  there  is  something  glistening  on  his 
cheek, — a  strong  man's  tear.  Aye;  and  there  is  a 
rainbow  of  promise  in  it.  "  The  sacrifices  of  God  are 
a  broken  spirit;  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God, 
thou  wilt  not  despise."  So  the  new  life  begins.  There 
are  scars  on  the  man's  face;  his  cheeks  are  still  white 
and  thin,  and  he  will  long  carry  about  with  him  the 
marks  of  that  awful  nightmare  in  the  tombs.  But  here 
with  wife  and  children  about  him,  ah,  this  is  heaven 
on  earth ! 

Is  that  all?  Oh,  no.  On  the  evening  of  that  day 
he  gathers  his  wife  and  children  about  him  and  tells 
them  the  story,  how  it  all  happened;  how  he  saw  the 
little  boat  upon  the  lake  and  ran  down  with  curses  to 
meet  it;  how  the  strong  Man  looked  who,  standing 
in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  boldly  faced  him ;  how,  with  a 
ring  of  conscious  power  in  his  voice,  He  uttered  those 
words,  "  Come  out  of  him !  "  And  then  the  awful 
struggle  for  a  moment,  when  life  and  death  tugged 
for  the  mastery  within  him ;  and  how  life  won.  "  The 
Lord  bade  me,"  he  continues,  "  return  to  the  old  home, 
live  down  the  past  and  do  good  as  I  may  have  oppor- 
tunity, by  a  holy  and  helpful  life.  But  I  can't  do  that 
without  prayer.  I  am  helpless  and  hopeless  except  as 
I  have  strength  from  above.  Let  us  kneel  down, 
therefore,  and  pray."  Hear  him  now :  "  Have  mercy 
upon  me,  O  God,  according  unto  thy  lovingkindness 
and  according  unto  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies 


124  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

blot  out  my  transgressions !  Purge  me  with  hyssop 
and  I  shall  be  clean ;  wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter 
than  snow !  Open  thou  my  lips  that  my  mouth  shall 
show  forth  thy  praise !  "  A  long  pause,  and  then : 
"  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within 
me  bless  his  holy  name.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul, 
and  forget  not  all  his  benefits ;  who  forgiveth  all  thine 
iniquities,  who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction. 
The  Lord  is  merciful  and  gracious,  slow  to  anger  and 
plenteous  in  mercy.  As  far  as  the  east  is  from  the 
west,  so  far  hath  he  removed  our  transgressions  from 
us.  Bless  the  Lord,  ye  his  angels  that  excel  in 
strength ;  that  do  his  commandments,  hearkening 
to  his  voice !  Bless  the  Lord,  all  his  works,  in  all 
places  of  his  dominion!  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul ! " 

And  thus  the  changed  man  has  changed  his  poverty- 
stricken  home  into  the  very  gate  of  heaven.  There 
may  have  been  no  tapestries  or  pictures  there ;  little 
meal  in  the  barrel,  or  oil  in  the  cruse;  but  there  was 
love,  and  there  was  the  family  altar.  It  was  like  the 
house  of  Obed-edom  with  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  in 
the  midst  of  it. 

Was  that  all?  No.  The  next  morning  his  neigh- 
bors dropped  in,  old  friends  who  had  known  him  in 
earlier  and  better  days ;  some  perhaps  who  had  joined 
in  his  revels  and  tarried  with  him  long  at  the  wine. 
And  they  marvelled  at  what  they  saw.  His  earnest 
face,  his  evident  sincerity,  his  interest  in  their  wel- 
fare, these  won  for  him  a  hearing.  There  was  no  gain- 
saying his  word.  He  told  his  simple  story,  keeping 
Jesus  always  at  the  centre  of  it.  He  was  never  weary 
of  sounding  the  praises  of  his  Friend.    "  He  published 


HOME    MINISTRIES  125 

throughout  the  whole  city  what  Jesus  had  done  for 
him." 

Here  the  curtain  falls.  We  know,  however,  that 
when  the  townspeople  of  Gadara  besought  Jesus  to 
depart  out  of  their  coasts,  this  man  remained,  as  his 
deputy,  to  represent  his  gracious  purposes  toward 
them.  He  preached  .the  gospel  in  his  humble  way, 
until,  in  the  passing  of  the  years,  he  fell  asleep.  Then 
the  great  home-coming!  Perhaps  some  of  those  who 
had  been  converted  through  his  ministrations  were 
awaiting  him  at  heaven's  gate.  As  he  entered  he 
lifted  up  his  eyes  and  behold,  his  Saviour  sat  yonder 
enthroned  in  glory.  "  O  Jesus,"  he  cried,  "  let  all 
heaven  hear !  I  am  the  demoniac  of  Gadara !  I  am 
he  that  dwelt  among  the  tombs !  Thou  didst  restore 
me  to  hope  and  manhood  and  life.  Thou  art  worthy  to 
receive  honor  and  glory  and  power  and  dominion 
forever  and  ever." 

Is  there  a  lesson  here  for  us?  Go  home  to  thy 
friends,  if  thou  art  a  Christian,  and  tell  what  great 
things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee. 

Home  is  the  smallest,  hardest,  most  trying,  largest 
of  parishes.  It  is  the  smallest,  because  it  is  apparently 
hemmed  in  by  four  walls.  It  is  the  hardest,  since,  as 
every  one  knows,  it  is  easier  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
a  great  congregation  than  to  speak  tenderly  and  tact- 
fully to  one's  kinsmen.  It  is  the  most  trying,  because 
it  turns  the  searchlight  of  closest  scrutiny  on  one's 
walk  and  conversation.  And  it  is  the  largest,  because 
out  of  this  circle  are  the  issues  of  life. 

Who  shall  estimate  the  influence  of  godly  fathers? 
One  of  the  clearest  days  in  my  memory  is  that  when 
my  aged  father,  renewing  the  Covenant  of  his  youth, 


126  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

took  down  the  old  ha'  Bible  and  lifted  his  voice  in 
prayer.  Blessed  are  the  men  who  leave  such  memories 
to  their  children. 

And  what  shall  be  said  of  the  dear  mothers  in 
Israel  ?  A  stone  in  a  village  cemetery  bears  the  touch- 
ing legend,  "Our  Mother.  She  made  home  happy  for 
us."  Of  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  womanhood 
there  is  none  comparable  with  this,  to  live  so  lovingly 
and  consistently  as  to  be  able  to  come  up  at  last  to 
heaven,  saying,  "  Lord,  here  am  I  and  the  children 
whom  thou  hast  given  me !  " 

Let  us  pay  tribute  also  to  the  influence  of  sons  and 
daughters.  I  mean  old-fashioned  sons  and  daughters 
who  are  not  ashamed  of  such  homely  graces  as  filial 
love  and  reverence.  No  advocate  of  the  temperance 
reform  is  better  loved  than  Francis  Murphy.  It  is 
not  generally  known,  however,  that  forty  years  ago 
he  was  a  drunkard  and  a  criminal  in  one  of  the  villages 
of  Maine.  Preachers  had  preached  at  him  in  vain. 
The  law  merely  maddened  him.  One  day  his  little 
daughter  came  to  his  cell  and  said  with  broken  voice, 
"  Papa,  we're  homesick  without  you."  That  was  the 
turning  point  in  his  life;  and  we  are  not  surprised  to 
hear  him  saying,  "  Man  is  lost  beyond  the  possibility 
of  redemption  if  the  divinity  in  his  nature  does  not 
listen  when  his  children  whisper   '  Home '  in  his  ear." 

And  great  is  the  power  of  brotherly  affection  and 
loyalty.  It  is  my  good  fortune  to  preach  to  a  con- 
gregation made  up  largely  of  young  men.  I  know 
some  among  them  who  are  bread-winners  for  the  whole 
household.  It  may  be  that  at  times  they  feel  impatient 
of  being  thus  handicapped  by  caring  for  the  dependent 
ones.     Let  them  rather  thank  God  and  take  courage. 


HOME    MINISTRIES  127 

Great  is  their  privilege  and  they  shall  by  no  means  lose 
their  reward.  Poets  sing  of  knights  of  the  olden  time 
whose  "  swords  are  rust,  whose  steeds  are  dust,  whose 
souls  are  with  their  God  we  trust " ;  but  truer  a  thou- 
sand fold  is  the  chivalry  of  these  self-denying  youth 
than  that  which  spent  itself  in  the  tourney  or  on  the 
battlefield. 

A  word  for  the  sisters,  also:  ministering  angels  in 
many  a  home,  not  dreaming  how  their  kindly,  loving 
service  is  to  be  remembered  in  the  future  days.  The 
world  is  full  of  Miriams  who  hold  themselves  ready 
to  watch  the  cradle  or  strike  the  cymbals  of  encourage- 
ment as  occasion  may  demand.  "  I  lament,"  wrote 
Washington  Irving,  "  that  Providence  denied  me  the 
companionship  of  sisters.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  I 
should  have  been  a  better  man." 

So  let  us  heed  the  Master's  word,  "  Go  home  to  thy 
friends  and  tell  what  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done 
for  thee."  Use  your  Christian  influence  to  such  ef- 
fect that  all  in  your  family  circle  shall  be  brought  to 
the  saving  knowledge  of  Christ.  This  is  the  great  par- 
ish. You  may  preach  there  with  seasonable  words, 
which  are  like  apples  of  gold  shining  through  the 
meshes  of  a  silver  basket,  or  better  than  all,  by  force 
of  example.  The  eyes  of  the  home  circle  are  con- 
stantly upon  you.  If  there  is  any  place  where  the 
Christian  is  "  off  duty,"  it  is  certainly  not  at  home. 
Someone  has  said  that  religion  is  "  not  a  coat,  but  a 
cuticle."  It  is  more  than  either.  It  is  not  a  coat  to 
be  put  on  and  taken  off  at  pleasure ;  no  more  is  it  a 
cuticle,  that  is,  a  superficial  thing.  It  is  a  life  that 
pervades  the  whole  being,  going  into  and  through  the 
bone  and  sinew  and  blood.     This  being  so,  a  Christian 


128  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

is  bound  to  make  his  religion  known  and  felt  every- 
where, always,  under  all  circumstances,  and  most  of 
all  in  his  fellowship  with  those  who  are  nearest  and 
dearest  to  him. 

Flashes   the   lovelight,   increasing   the   glory, 

Beaming  from  bright  eyes  with  warmth  of  the  soul, 

Telling   of  trust  and   content  the   sweet  story, 

Lifting  the  shadows  that  over  us  roll; 

King,  king,  crown  me  the  king; 

Home  is  the  Kingdom  and  Love  is  the  Kingl 


XII 

COVETOUSNESS 

In  which  Jesus  declines  to  commit  himself  in  the  matter  of 
a  contested  will. 

One  of  the  Multitude:  "Teacher,  bid  my  brother 
divide  the  inheritance  with  me." 

Jesus:  "  Man,  who  made  me  a  judge  or  a  divider  over 
you?"  And  he  said  unto  them,  "Take  heed,  and  keep  your- 
selves from  all  covetousness:  for  a  man's  life  consisteth 
not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth." 
— Luke  xii,  13-21. 

The  world  is  full  of  little  people.  We  are  all  little 
people  in  a  way,  spending  our  energy  in  quest  of  in- 
finitesimals and  prone  to  take  inadequate  views  of 
things.  What  a  birthright  is  ours,  and  what  possi- 
bilities are  before  us !  Yet  how  many  are  royal  triflers, 
like  Louis  XV.,  who  spent  his  time  tinkering  the  clocks 
of  the  Louvre  to  the  neglect  of  his  affairs  of  state. 
While  we  live  thus  our  world  grows  smaller  and 
smaller  and  we  with  it.  We  go  round  in  our  narrow 
circle  like  an  eagle  born  to  cleave  the  heavens,  but 
tethered  to  a  stake. 

But  once  there  lived  a  great  Man.  He  was  the 
only  great  Man  the  world  ever  saw.  He  knew  him- 
self, his  birth,  capacities,  high  destiny.  He  knew  God, 
knew  him  so  well  and  intimately  that  he  could  say 
"  I  and  my  Father  are  One."  He  knew  his  life-work 
and    concentrated    all    his    energies    upon    it.     His 

129 


130  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

thoughts  and  prayers,  his  sermons  and  miracles,  all 
were  subsidiary  to  the  matter  in  hand.  As  for  wealth, 
sordid  pleasure  and  golden  crowns,  he  appraised  them 
at  their  exact  value  and  waived  them  aside.  Inspcxit 
et  despexit!  He  could  not  be  diverted  from  his  task. 
"  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with ;  and  how  is  my 
soul  straitened  until  I  shall  accomplish  it !  "  So  he 
pursued  his  purpose,  until,  dying  on  the  cross,  he 
cried,  "  It  is  finished !  "  and  went  his  way. 

And  the  little  people  were  always  annoying  this 
Man.  Absorbed  in  their  own  insignificant  pursuits, 
they  sought  persistently  to  draw  him  down  to  their 
level.  He  was  like  Gulliver  bound  in  Lilliput  with 
slender  cords.  His  disciples  wished  him  to  determine 
for  them  the  stupendous  question  of  precedence  at 
table !  The  Pharisees  sought  to  entangle  him  in  their 
disputations  as  to  fasts  and  hand-washings  and  tith- 
ing of  garden  herbs.  The  Sadducees  bore  down  upon 
him  with  the  portentous  problem  of  the  seven-fold 
widow.  The  politicians  demanded  of  him  whether  it 
was  lawful  to  pay  tribute  to  Caesar  or  not.  Quibblers, 
wire-drawers,  hair-splitters,  little  people  all !  Here 
was  a  man  who  was  ever  preaching,  "  Up  with  your 
hearts !  "  while  they  were  calling,  "  Come  down !  Come 
down  to  us !  " 

It  chanced  that  once  when  Jesus  was  setting  forth 
the  great  truths  of  the  eternal  life,  a  man  of  this  paltry 
sort  piped  up  with  his  grievance :  "  Master,  speak  to 
my  brother  that  he  divide  the  inheritance  with  me." 
It  was  the  oft-repeated  story  of  a  contested  will.  A 
father  had  two  sons ;  the  one  thrifty  and  industrious, 
the  other  an  indolent  ne'er-do-weel.  To  Jacob  he  be- 
queathed his  broad  acres,  vested  interests,  bonds  and 


COVETOUSNESS  131 

mortgages,  everything;  while  poor  Esau  was  cut  off 
with  a  shilling.  Was  it  strange  that  the  sense  of  wrong 
rankled  in  his  breast?  He  thought  upon  this  until 
the  inheritance  shut  out  all  larger  and  more  impor- 
tant considerations.  He  brooded  on  his  wrongs  by 
day  and  dreamed  of  them  at  night.  The  inheritance! 
The  inheritance!  His  soul  clamored  for  his  just  por- 
tion of  it.  Truth,  virtue,  immortality  were  crowded 
out  of  mind.  His  unadjusted  claim  was  like  a  coin 
held  close  before  the  eyes  and  hiding  the  glory  of  the 
sun.  He  heard  the  weighty  words  of  Jesus,  but  they 
were  naught  to  him.  What  cared  he  for  life  and  im- 
mortality ?  "  Lord,  speak  to  my  brother  that  he  divide 
the  inheritance  with  me  !  " 

The  answer  of  Jesus  was  brief  and  to  the  point. 
The  case  was  one  which  lay  within  the  purview  of  the 
Probate  Court.  "  Man,  who  made  me  a  judge  or  a  di- 
vider over  you  ?  " 

But  the  occasion  was  improved  by  the  Master  for 
the  pressing  home  of  an  important  caveat.  Turning 
from  the  inheritance-seeker  to  the  people,  he  said, 
"  Take  heed  and  beware  of  covetousness ! " 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  Jesus  was  denouncing 
wealth.  He  knew,  as  all  wise  people  know,  that  money 
is  intrinsically  neither  good  nor  bad.  A  penny  is  mor- 
ally as  neutral  as  a  horn  button;  whether  it  be 
"  tainted  "  or  not  depends  on  the  way  it  is  gotten  and 
used.  There  are  times  when  a  bushel  of  gold  is  not 
comparable  in  value  with  an  ear  of  corn.  But  "  the 
love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil."  Auri  sacra 
fames.    Oh,  the  frightful  hunger  of  it ! 

The  word  covetousness  is  from  an  intensive  verb 
meaning:  "  to  desire  with  an  inordinate  desire."     It  is 


132  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

personified  by  Solomon  on  this  wise :  "  The  horse-leech 
hath  two  daughters,  crying,  '  Give,  give ! '  In  our 
time  the  horse-leech  has  three  daughters,  to  wit, 
"Nothing,"  "Enough"  and  "Opulence."  "Noth- 
ing "  wants  something ;  "  Enough "  wants  more ; 
"  Opulence  "  wants  the  earth.  "  Nothing  "  sits  at  the 
corner  of  the  street  with  outstretched  hands,  crying 
"  Misericordia  !  A  penny  for  the  love  of  God !  " — 
"  Enough  "  is  a  handicraftsman,  an  eight-hour  man, 
who,  blind  to  the  splendor  of  skill  and  fidelity,  de- 
mands a  maximum  of  wages  for  a  minimum  of  work. 
— "  Opulence,"  the  millionaire,  stretches  out  his  hands 
for  a  million  more.  Time  was  when  a  hundred-thou- 
sand would  have  satisfied  him ;  now  if  he  would  shine 
in  the  Milky  Way  of  stellar  aristocracy  he  must  own 
a  yacht,  an  automobile,  an  equine  establishment,  a 
mansion  in  the  city,  a  group  of  summer-homes  by  the 
shore  and  in  the  mountains,  and,  mayhap,  a  baronial 
castle  beyond  the  seas.  But  all  alike  cry,  "  Give ! 
Give !  "  And  alike  they  are  blind  to  the  fact  that 
presently  they  must  surrender  all. 

A  few  days  ago  a  child  was  run  over  by  a  Broad- 
way car  and  mortally  hurt.  To  quiet  her  wailing  a 
benevolent  gentleman  put  a  silver  quarter  in  her  hand, 
saying,  "  Hold  it  fast,  and  be  brave !  "  She  died  on 
the  way  to  the  hospital,  with  her  little  fingers  clenched 
upon  the  coin.  She  had  gone  on  without  it!  Ah, 
they  all  do. 

The  Lord  followed  up  his  caveat  with  a  general 
proposition,  namely,  "  A  man's  life  consisteth  not  in 
the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth." 
You  say  this  is  a  truism ;  nay,  not  unless  immortality 
be  assumed  as  its  postulate.     Nothing  is  more  com- 


COVETOUSNESS  133 

monly  or  practically  denied  than  the  proposition  be- 
fore us. 

But  what  is  the  "life"  which  Jesus  here  speaks  of? 
In  general  terms  it  is  the  breath  which  was  breathed 
into  the  nostrils  of  man  when  God  made  him  a  living 
soul.  Life  is  a  line  beginning  at  birth  and  reaching 
on  forever.  It  is  divided  into  two  parts ;  the  life  here 
and  the  life  beyond.  The  life  here  is  brief  as  an 
eagle's  flight;  it  is  likened  to  foam  on  the  waters,  a 
dream,  the  flying  of  a  weaver's  shuttle,  a  tale  that  is 
told.  To-day,  to-morrow  and  the  day  after;  and,  be- 
hold, it  is  gone !  "  Out,  out,  brief  candle ;  life's  but 
a  walking  shadow." 

Let  us  take  heed,  however,  that  we  do  not  belittle 
the  importance  of  the  life  here  and  now ;  for,  not- 
withstanding its  brevity,  the  issues  of  eternity  are 
wrapped  up  in  it. 

As  for  the  life  beyond ;  it  is  forever  and  ever. 
Eternity,  how  long  art  thou !  We  are  to  live  through 
the  interminable  seons.  And  by  this  token  it  is  of 
supreme  importance  that  we  should  know  the  right 
ratio,  thatwe  should  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  relative 
length  of  the  two  portions  of  the  endless  line.  The 
life  here  is  to  the  life  hereafter  as  a  mote  in  a  sun- 
beam to  the  great  circle  which  the  sun  pursues  in  in- 
finite space;  as  a  grain  of  sand  to  all  the  sands  upon 
the  sea  shores  of  the  earth ;  as  the  swinging  of  a  pen- 
dulum to  the  sum  total  of  chronology ;  as  the  phos- 
phorescent gleam  of  a  firefly  to  the  effulgence  that 
fills  the  inter-stellar  spaces ;  as  a  drop  of  water  to  the 
immeasurable  volume  of  the  deeps.  Nay,  these  are 
all  infinitely  inadequate,  but  it  is  only  by  such  com- 
parisons that  we  can  form  the  slightest  conception  of 


134  CHRIST   AND    MEN 

the  disparity  of  terms  or  grasp  in  any  measure  the 
significance  of  the  Lord's  insoluble  problem,  "  What 
shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and 
lose  his  life?  " 

And  then,  from  these  premises,  our  Lord  frames  this 
deduction :  The  man  who  lives  for  time  and  ignores 
eternity  is  a  fool.  He  presents  it  in  the  form  of  a 
parable,  thus :  "  The  ground  of  a  certain  rich  man 
brought  forth  plentifully.  And  he  said  to  himself, 
'  What  shall  I  do,  because  I  have  no  room  where  to  be- 
stow my  harvests  ?  '  And  he  said,  '  This  will  I  do  ;  I 
will  tear  down  my  storehouses  and  build  greater;  and 
there  will  I  bestow  my  fruits  and  my  goods.  And  I 
will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid 
up  for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink  and  be 
merry.'  (At  this  point,  however,  his  soliloquy  was 
broken  in  upon  by  a  Voice  which  he  had  not  reckoned 
on.)  But  God  said  to  him,  'Thou  fool!  this  night 
shall  thy  soul  be  required  of  thee ;  then  whose  shall 
those  things  be  which  thou  hast  provided  ?  '  So  is  he 
that  layeth  up  treasure  for  himself  and  is  not  rich 
toward  God." 

At  dead  of  night  there  was  a  cry  of  pain  in  the 
home  of  the  rich  man.  His  wife  awoke,  kindled  the 
lamp  and,  seeing  an  ominous  pallor  on  her  husband's 
face,  bade  one  of  the  household  run  for  the  doctor. 
He  came,  felt  of  the  patient's  pulse  and  shook  his 
head. 

"  If  anything  remains  to  be  done,"  he  said,  "  you 
have  no  time  to  lose."  The  lawyer  was  straight- 
way called  to  make  the  will.  "  I  give  and  bequeath 
thus  and  so  to  my  beloved  wife;  thus  and  so  to  my 
children ;  thus  and  so  to  schools  and  hospitals."     But 


COVETOUSNESS  135 

how  much  will  he  reserve  for  himself?  Nothing. 
How  much  will  he  take  with  him?  Not  a  farthing. 
There  will  be  no  pocket  in  his  shroud.  The  King  of 
Terrors  comes  like  a  highwayman,  crying,  "  Hands 
up!"  This  man  was  going  on  a  long  journey  and 
had  made  no  preparation.  Fool,  indeed !  He  had 
squandered  his  great  opportunity.  Life  was  before 
him,  a  journey  in  the  dark,  and  he  stumbled  forth 
into  it.  So  is  he  that  hath  laid  up  treasure  for  himself 
and  is  not  rich  toward  God. 

On  that  same  night  there  was,  perhaps,  another 
death  in  the  same  city.  The  summons  came  to  one, 
rich  or  poor  it  mattered  not,  enough  that  he  was  a 
prudent  man.  For  he  had  pondered  time  and  eternity 
and  weighed  things  well.  The  pallor  was  on  his  face ; 
but  there  was  no  tremor  in  his  heart.  He  had  devoted 
his  years  to  the  calm  consideration  of  right  and  benef- 
icence; and  there  was  a  crown  laid  up  for  him.  So 
is  he  that  is  rich  toward  God. 

Thus  ends  the  lesson  of  the  Master.  It  is  possible, 
then,  to  be  "  rich  toward  God."  But  what  is  that  ? 
In  a  little  while  we  shall  be  making  our  inventory  at 
the  border  line.  What  shall  we  leave?  We  shall 
leave,  perforce,  all  sordid  things  behind  us.  We 
shall  leave  our  influence,  moreover,  for  better  or  for 
worse,  as  a  bequest  to  those  who  survive  us.  "  I  am 
called  away,"  said  Sheridan,  "  to  meet  an  imperative 
engagement ;  but  I  will  leave  my  influence  with  you." 
It  is  said  that  if  one  of  the  distant  stars  were  extin- 
guished, its  light  would  linger  for  a  thousand  years. 
So  is  it  with  the  memory  of  a  holy  man. 

But  what  are  our  eternal  assets ;  the  things  that  fire 
cannot  consume,  that  death  cannot  take  from  us?  In 


13G  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

other  words,  what  is  a  man  "  worth  "  as  he  passes 
into  eternity? 

The  first  item  in  the  inventory  is  a  clean  character. 
This  means  freedom  from  sin ;  for  "  without  holiness 
no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."  And  freedom  from  sin 
comes  only  by  the  cleansing  of  the  blood ;  as  it  is  writ- 
ten, "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all 
sin,"  and  "  Without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no 
remission  of  sin." 

The  second  item  is  a  philanthropic  record.  Have 
you  been  serving  your  fellow-men  ?  Have  you  visited 
the  sick,  ministered  to  the  poor,  lightened  the  burdens 
of  the  weary?  If  so,  this  shall  be  reckoned  to  your 
credit.  "  For  whosoever  shall  give  a  cup  of  cold 
water,"  said  Jesus,  "  to  the  least  of  these  my  little 
ones  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  shall  not  lose  his  re- 
ward." 

And  the  third  item  is  service  rendered  to  God.  The 
man  who  leaves  God  out  of  the  reckoning  dooms  him- 
self to  eternal  beggary.  "  The  longer  I  live,"  said  Car- 
lyle,  "  and  the  nearer  I  approach  eternity,  the  more  do 
I  realize  the  tremendous  truth  of  the  statement  '  The 
chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify  God.'  " 

The  substance  of  the  Master's  teaching,  therefore, 
is,  "  Be  rich ;  get  riches  that  endure."  Have  an  inde- 
pendent fortune  "  proof  against  the  tooth  of  time  and 
rasure  of  oblivion."  Lay  up  for  yourself  millions  of 
treasure,  the  more  the  better,  in  bags  that  wax  not 
old. 

Lay  up  for  yourself  treasure  in  the  heavens  that 
faileth  not!  Be  covetous  Godward,  and  right-minded 
earthward.  Estimate  things  at  their  right  relative 
value.    Prepare  for  the  endless  life.     So  live  that  you 


COVETOUSNESS  137 

shall  not  leave  all.  To  that  end  count  your  assets 
now.  Count  in  nothing  that  cannot  be  carried  through 
the  little  wicket  gate.  Count  in  everything  that  can 
be  taken  with  you:  truth,  character,  usefulness,  hu- 
manity and  true  piety.    Be  rich,  be  rich  toward  God! 


XIII 
PRACTICAL   RELIGION 

In  which  he  shows  how  a  business  man  can  do  business  to 
the  glory  of  God. 

And  he  entered  and  was  passing  through  Jericho.  And 
behold,  a  man  called  by  name  Zacchceus;  and  he  was  a 
chief  publican,  and  he  was  rich.  And  he  sought  to  see 
Jesus  who  he  was;  and  could  not  for  the  crowd,  because 
he  was  little  of  stature.  And  he  ran  on  before,  and 
climbed  up  into  a  sycamore  tree  to  see  him:  for  he  was 
to  pass   that  way. 

Jesus:  "Zacchceus,  make  haste,  and  come  down;  for 
to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house." 

The  People:  "He  is  gone  in  to  lodge  with  a  man 
that  is  a  sinner." 

Zacchceus,  at  his  home:  "Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of 
my  goods  J  give  to  the  poor;  and  if  J  have  wrongfully 
exacted  aught  of  any  man,  J  restore  fourfold." 

Jesus:  "  To-day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house;  for- 
asmuch as  he  also  is  a  son  of  Abraham.  For  the  Son  of 
Man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." — 
Luke  xix,  i-io. 

We  require  two  things  of  Religion.  One  is  that  it 
shall  be  up-to-date;  the  other,  that  it  shall  be  prac- 
tical. 

The  Gospel  of  Christ  meets  both  of  these  require- 
ments. Its  three  essential  factors  are  abreast  of  the 
age.  One  of  these  is  God ;  "  with  whom  there  is  no 
variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning."  Another 
is  man ;  who  likewise  changes  not ;  he  has  always  been 

138 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION  139 

conscious  of  his  divine  birth  and  of  the  loss  of  his 
birthright  and  of  the  vital  importance  of  finding  his 
way  back  to  the  favor  of  God.  The  remaining  factor 
is  Christ,  the  God-man,  standing  between  God  and 
man,  placing  the  hand  of  the  sinner  in  that  of  his 
justly  offended  Father  and  bringing  them  into  at- 
one-ment.  And  Christ  is  also  the  unchangeable  One. 
We  sing,  "  Ring  in  the  Christ  that  is  to  be  " ;  but 
there  is  no  Christ  coming  who  has  not  been  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  The  true  religion  was  ad- 
justed, at  the  outset,  to  all  the  possible  vicissitudes 
of  time.     It  is  always  abreast  of  the  age. 

As  to  the  other  requirement,  namely,  that  religion 
shall  be  practical ;  the  gospel  is  precisely  responsive  to 
it.  There  are  two  supreme  longings  in  the  soul  of 
man:  On  the  one  hand,  he  wants  to  escape  from  the 
justly  incurred  penalty  of  sin;  and  there  the  Gospel 
meets  him  with  the  gracious  announcement  that  the 
handwriting  of  ordinances  which  was  against  him 
has  been  nailed  to  Christ's  cross  and  taken  out  of  the 
way.  On  the  other  hand,  he  wants  to  know  how  to 
live  righteously  every  day;  and  to  this,  also,  the 
Gospel  makes  definite  answer,  in  detail  and  particular. 
It  touches  the  entire  circumference  of  his  life  at  every 
point.  It  shows  him  how  to  deport  himself  at  home 
and  in  society,  in  politics,  in  business  and  in  all  pos- 
sible relations  with  his  fellow-men. 

It  is  true  that  the  Gospel  is  not  always  preached  in 
this  way.  The  man  in  the  pulpit  is  tempted  to  turn 
aside  to  dreams  and  speculations ;  to  lose  himself  and 
his  audience  in  the  bewildering  mazes  of  "  free  will, 
fixed  fate,  foreknowledge  absolute " ;  or  to  preach 
smooth  things  in  fine    rhetoric,    "  faultily    faultless, 


140  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

icily  regular,  splendidly  null."  But  this  is  not  the 
fault  of  the  Gospel.  The  Christianity  of  Christ  was 
intensely  practical.  It  bore  upon  the  necessities  of 
the  soul  as  constantly  and  equably  as  the  atmosphere 
does  on  every  square  inch  of  the  body.  It  was  fitted 
not  only  to  all  circumstances  in  human  life  but  to  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  The  standpoint  of  the 
great  Preacher  was  always  the  same,  whether  he 
spoke  to  the  Rabbis  of  the  Sanhedrin  or  to  fisher- 
men beside  the  lake,  to  invalids  in  the  porches  of 
Bethesda  or  to  little  children  who  flocked  about  him, 
to  Martha  the  housewife  cumbered  with  much-serv- 
ing, or  to  men  engaged,  like  Zaccheus,  in  the  affairs 
of  business  life. 

It  is  probable  that  no  class  of  persons  take  a  less 
interest  in  the  great  problems  of  religion  than  business 
men.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  absorbing  character  of 
their  pursuits ;  but  the  impression  that  religion  is  a 
fabric  of  dreams  and  speculations  and  sentimental 
transcendentalism  has  also  much  to  do  with  it.  It 
may  be  that  a  consideration  of  the  interview  of  Jesus 
with  Zaccheus  will  convince  us  that  the  opposite  is 
true. 

Observe,  Zaccheus  was  a  Business  Man. 

He  held  a  government  appointment  as  head  of  the 
customs  department  at  Jericho.  It  was  one  of  the 
two  most  important  tolbooths  in  the  Jewish  portion 
of  the  Empire ;  the  other  being  at  Capernaum,  where 
Matthew,  probably  a  friend  of  Zaccheus,  held  the  cor- 
responding office.  But,  unfortunately  for  Zaccheus, 
the  Jews  as  a  subjugated  people  looked  with  the  ut- 
most disfavor  on  any  of  their  countrymen  who  ac- 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION  141 

cepted  an  appointment  under  the  Roman  government; 
so  that  his  vocation  was  tinder  the  ban.  There  was 
nothing  intrinsically  dishonorable  in  it,  however;  and 
Christ,  who  throughout  his  ministry  had  much  to  say 
about  the  publicans,  in  no  wise  discredited  it.  He 
taught,  on  the  contrary,  that  any  trade  or  profession 
is  lawful  provided  it  be  carried  on  in  a  lawful  way. 
In  his  eyes  an  honest  trade  was  quite  as  honorable 
as  any  of  the  learned  professions.  The  question  is 
whether  a  man  is  making  the  most  of  his  opportunity. 
No  doubt  there  are  some  who  "  miss  their  calling." 
There  are  cobblers  in  Congress  as  there  are  statesmen 
cobbling  shoes ;  but  no  one  really  misses  his  calling 
who  does  his  best  where  circumstances  have  placed 
him.  Any  business  is  right  and  proper  which  adds 
to  the  exchequer  of  self  and  society  without  violating 
any  of  the  divine  laws. 

"  Honor  and  shame  from  no  condition  rise ; 
Act  well  your  part,  there  all  the  honor  lies." 

Observe,  again,  that  Zaccheus  was  a  Successful 
Man. 

It  would  appear  that  the  wealth  which  he  had 
amassed  was  due  not  only  to  the  salary  but  much 
more  to  the  perquisites  of  his  office.  The  thing  that 
we  call  "  graft "  in  public  service  is  not  peculiar  to 
our  time  or  country.  In  the  Orient  the  three  degrees 
of  comparison  in  the  public  service  are,  "  Get  on,  get 
honor,  get  honest."  The  collector  of  taxes  at  the 
Jericho  tolbooth  was  simply  in  fashion  in  placing 
honesty  last  of  all.  But  for  that  fact  his  riches  would 
have  been  in  no  wise  against  him. 

In  Sir  Thomas  More's  picture  of  Utopia  he  makes 


142  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

wealth  contemptible ;  but  this  is  not  so  in  common 
life  nor  to  the  minds  of  right-thinking  men.  There 
are  three  things  which  gold  will  do:  First,  it  qualifies 
a  man  to  make  the  most  of  himself  in  securing  the 
conveniences  as  well  as  the  necessities  of  life.  Second, 
it  gives  him  an  opportunity  of  alleviating  the  dis- 
tresses of  his  less  fortunate  friends  and  neighbors ; 
as  witness  the  schools,  hospitals  and  other  benevolent 
institutions  which  have  been  made  possible  through 
the  benevolence  of  rich  men.  And,  third,  it  enables 
its  possessor  to  man  and  equip  the  great  enterprises 
of  the  kingdom  of  God ;  it  builds  churches,  prints 
Bibles  and  sends  missionaries  to  preach  the  gospel  in 
the  regions  beyond.  There  is  reason  therefore  for 
saying  that  gold  will  do  almost  everything.  Almost ! 
The  one  thing,  however,  which  it  cannot  do  is  su- 
premely important ;  it  cannot  purchase  the  inheritance 
of  life.  A  man  knocks  at  heaven's  gate,  saying, 
"  Lord,  Lord,  open  unto  me."  The  voice  of  the 
warder  from  within  answers,  "Who  art  thou?"  "I 
am  Rothschild."  "Who?"  "Rothschild;  the  Baron 
Rothschild."  "  And  who  is  the  Baron  Rothschild, 
pray?"  "The  Banker  of  Frankfort,  who  negotiated 
the  government  loan  of  Denmark  and  has  replenished 
the  exchequer  of  the  nations  in  critical  times."  "  Have 
you  nothing  more  to  say  for  yourself?"  "Is  not 
that  enough  ?  "  "  Nay,  if  that  be  all,  I  never  knew 
you!" 

Observe,  furthermore,  that  Zaccheus  had  "  a  soul 
above  buttons." 

He  thought  of  other  things  than  business.  There 
are  men  who  live  in  their  shops  and  offices  like  the 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION  143 

fabled  prisoner  in  his  contracting  cell,  the  walls  clos- 
ing in  upon  them,  more  and  more,  until  they  are 
crushed  to  death.  But  this  tax  collector  was  larger 
than  his  tolbooth.  He  had  an  interest  in  things  going 
on  about  him.  He  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to 
the  city  and  resolved  to  see  him.  In  order  to  secure 
a  coign  of  vantage,  as  he  was  small  of  stature,  he 
climbed  up  into  the  boughs  of  a  sycamore  tree.  No 
doubt  the  people  smiled,  possibly  derided  him ;  but 
dignity  to  the  winds !  He  must  see  Jesus.  What 
was  his  motive?  Mere  curiosity?  So  far,  so  good. 
No  less  an  authority  than  Lord  Bacon  has  said,  "  If 
you  never  ask  questions,  you  will  never  find  out." 
But,  perhaps,  his  motive  lay  deeper.  He  may  have 
felt  a  real  interest  in  Christ.  It  is  not  at  all  improb- 
able that  a  letter  had  come  from  his  friend  Matthew, 
the  tax  collector  at  Capernaum,  on  this  wise: 

Friend  Beloved: 

A  marvellous  thing  has  happened  to  me  since  I  last  wrote  you. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  entered  into  my  life  and  transformed 
it.  He  is  a  great  Preacher,  a  doer  of  wonderful  works;  I 
believe  him  to  be  the  long-looked-for  Messiah,  the  very 
Son  of  God.  He  has  saved  me  from  my  sins.  I  have  con- 
secrated my  life  to  him.  A  few  days  ago  he  left  Capernaum 
and  is  now  journeying  along  the  caravan  route  through 
Caesarea-Philippi,  to  Jerusalem.  On  the  way  he  must  pass 
through  Jericho.  I  beseech  you  by  no  means  fail  to  see  and 
hear  him.  My  hope  is  that  he  may  do  for  you  what  he  has 
so  graciously  done  for  me. 

So  the  ground  of  his  eagerness  to  see  Jesus  may  have 
been  a  deep  concern  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul. 
For,  indeed,  at  the  centre  of  the  heart  of  every  living 
man  is  this  longing  to  be  relieved  of  sin  and  of  the 


1U  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

"  certain  looking-for  of  judgment "  which  follows  it. 
And  it  behooves  every  earnest  man  to  exhaust  the 
last  atom  of  his  energy  in  solving  this  problem ;  nor 
must  he  rest  until,  like  Zaccheus,  he  has  put  to  the 
vital  test  the  rumor  that  Jesus  "  has  power  on  earth 
to  forgive  sin." 

Observe,  still  further,  that  the  soul  of  Zaccheus  was 
open  to  conviction. 

This  is  shown  by  his  readiness  to  meet  Christ  half- 
way. "  As  they  came  to  the  place,  Jesus  looked  up 
and  saw  him,  and  said,  Zaccheus,  make  haste  and 
come  down;  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house. 
And  he  made  haste,  and  came  down,  and  received 
him  joyfully."  It  was  not  strange  that,  as  they  walked 
along  the  street,  the  people  murmured  that  Jesus  had 
consented  to  be  the  guest  of  a  publican.  Jericho  was 
a  city  of  priests,  any  one  of  whom  would  doubtless 
have  felt  honored  to  entertain  him,  but  he  had  chosen 
to  press  himself  upon  the  hospitality  of  a  sinful  man. 

We  are  told  briefly  of  what  happened  as  they  sat 
at  dinner  in  the  house  of  Zaccheus.  The  table-talk 
of  Jesus  was  always  interesting  and  profitable.  He 
dwelt  upon  the  fact  that  he  had  come  "  to  seek  and 
to  save  the  lost " ;  and  in  doing  so  he  doubtless 
urged  his  host  to  believe  in  himself  as  the  Redeemer 
of  men.  Then  followed  the  impressive  Parable  of 
the  Pounds,  in  which  he  set  forth  the  right  use  of 
energy  and  possession,  as  a  solemn  trust  from  God. 

And,  observe,  finally,  that  Zaccheus  was  an  Oppor- 
tunist, in  the  best  possible  sense. 

He  then  and  there  became  a  Christian.     How  do 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION  145 

we  know  this?  By  the  testimony  of  Christ,  who  said, 
"  This  day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house,  forasmuch 
as  he  also  is  a  son  of  Abraham."  No  man  is  a  true 
son  of  Abraham  who  does  not  believe  in  Christ;  for 
Jesus  himself  said,  "  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my  day, 
and  he  saw  it  and  was  glad."  To  be  a  Christian  is  to 
belong  to  the  true  Israel  of  God.  But  the  Christianity 
of  Zaccheus  does  not  rest  solely  on  the  testimony  of 
Christ.  It  is  said,  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know 
them " ;  and  the  test  was  rigidly  and  successfully 
applied  in  this  case.  It  is  written,  "  And  Zaccheus 
stood,  and  said."  Those  are  noble  words.  They 
mean  that  he  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions.  He 
did  not  reserve  his  confession  until  a  more  convenient 
time,  but  at  once  came  out  into  the  open.  In  the 
presence  of  his  guests  he  made  his  confession  of 
faith.    It  is  brief,  but  contains  three  important  items: 

To  begin  with,  he  says,  "  The  half  of  my  goods  I 
give  to  the  poor."  He  had  lived  thus  far  for  himself ; 
he  now  proposes  to  do  for  others.  The  first  step 
toward  Christ  is  out  of  self;  and  Zaccheus  takes  it. 

Then  he  says,  "  If  I  have  taken  anything  from  any 
man  by  false  accusation,  I  restore  him  fourfold." 
Here  is  no  proposition  to  compromise  with  his  credi- 
tors at  twenty-five  per  cent.,  but  a  magnificent  re- 
quital. Doubtless  those  of  his  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances who  were  present  said,  "  This  appears  to  be 
the  genuine  sort  of  religion.  If  Zaccheus  means  that, 
he  is  a  changed  man." 

And  the  third  thing  which  he  says  is  by  implication, 
but  none  the  less  positive  on  that  account:  He  inti- 
mates that  having  enriched  himself  by  fraud  he  will 
defraud  no  more.    He  proposes  to  live  henceforth  as 


146  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

becomes  a  true  follower  of  Christ.  He  will  make  his 
light  shine  among  men. 

We  hear  no  more  of  Zaccheus,  but  are  left  to  sup- 
pose that  he  went  back  to  the  tolbooth  and  continued 
to  collect  the  taxes  there.  If  so,  we  may  be  assured  of 
this :  he  was  sensible  of  the  presence  of  Christ  in 
the  affairs  of  his  business  life.  He  knew  as  he  col- 
lected the  taxes  from  those  who  crossed  the  border 
that  his  Lord  was  beside  him,  saying,  "  Render  unto 
Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the 
things  that  are  God's." 

The  practical  application  is  brief  and  manifest;  go 
thou  and  do  likewise.  Christ  asks  to  be  received  as 
a  welcome  guest.  He  comes  to  us  as  really  as  he  came 
to  Zaccheus  in  Jericho  that  day,  saying,  "  Behold  I 
stand  at  the  door  and  knock ;  if  any  man  will  open 
unto  me,  I  will  come  in  and  sup  with  him  and  he  with 
me."  Shall  we  admit  him?  This  is  practical  religion. 
Shall  we  let  him  into  our  hearts  and  into  our  homes, 
into  our  shops  and  offices?  If  so,  be  assured  his 
presence  and  benediction  will  enrich  and  gladden  all. 


XIV 

THE    PROBLEM    OF    POVERTY 

In  which  he  instructs  his  disciples  how  to  minister  to  the 
bodies  as  well  as  to  the  souls  of  men. 

The  Disciples  to  Jesus:  "  The  place  is  desert,  and  the 
time  is  already  past;  send  the  multitudes  away,  that  they 
may  go  into  the  villages,  and  buy  themselves  food." 

Jesus:  "  They  have  no  need  to  go  away;  give  ye  them 
to  eat" 

The  Disciples:  "  We  have  here  but  five  loaves,  and 
two  tishes." 

Jesus:    "Bring  them  hither  to  me." 

And  he  commanded  the  multitudes  to  sit  down  on  the 
grass;  and  he  took  the  five  loaves,  and  the  two  tishes,  and 
looking  up  to  heaven,  he  blessed,  and  brake  and  gave  the 
loaves  to  the  disciples,  and  the  disciples  to  the  multitudes. 
— Matt,  xiv,  15-20. 

We  are  living  in  a  time  of  almost  unexampled 
prosperity.  Were  there  ever  such  harvests?  Trade, 
commerce  and  manufactures  are  at  flood  tide.  But 
there  is  never  a  lack  of  poverty.  Good  times  or  bad 
times,  the  poor  we  have  always  with  us. 

Behold  the  threadbare  army  as  it  files  past.  God's 
poor  and  the  devil's  poor,  the  deserving  and  the 
ne'er-do-weels.  In  the  van  come  the  tramps ;  sturdy 
beggars  who  refuse  to  work  because  "  the  world  owes 
them  a  living."  That  is  the  sum  total  of  their  philoso- 
phy. In  fact,  however,  the  world  owes  no  man  a 
living;  so  far  as  there  is  any  debt,  it  is  all  the  other 
way.     My  brain  and  sturdy  limbs  owe  me  a  living; 

147 


148  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

God  help  me  to  exact  it!  What  have  we  for  these 
tramps?  Nothing;  not  a  farthing.  The  rule  of  the 
Scriptures  is  the  right  one,  "  If  a  man  will  not  work, 
neither  let  him  eat." 

Still  they  come.  Here  are  the  professionals.  Pov- 
erty is  their  business ;  rags  and  tatters  are  their  stock 
in  trade.  They  fatten  on  the  sentiment  of  thought- 
less givers.  Not  long  ago  an  old  man  died  in  the 
Borough  of  The  Bronx  who  had  spent  his  entire  life 
as  a  street  beggar,  and  money  was  found  in  his  mat- 
tress, under  the  floor,  behind  the  plaster  of  the  walls, 
in  every  nook  and  cranny  of  his  abject  home.  He 
had  grown  rich  on  the  gullibility  of  the  public.  What 
have  we  for  such  professionals?  Nothing.  To  feed 
them  is  to  encourage  them  in  their  evil  ways. 

And  still  they  come.  Thousands  on  thousands 
with  red  eyes  and  sodden  flesh  go  reeling,  hiccough- 
ing, staggering  past.  These  are  victims  of  drink. 
They  may  be  starving,  but  they  drink  right  on.  In 
the  year  of  the  Irish  famine,  when  we  were  sending 
shiploads  of  wheat  and  potatoes  to  save  the  people  of 
the  Emerald  Isle  from  starvation,  they  consumed 
four  million  bushels  of  grain  in  malt  liquors !  Aye, 
gaunt  and  famishing  though  such  men  be,  they  would 
rather  drink  than  eat.  What  shall  we  give  them? 
Nothing.  It  surely  is  no  kindness  to  place  money  in 
their  hands.  This  is  but  to  help  them  on  toward  that 
darkness  from  which  returns  a  voice,  "  No  drunkard 
shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God !  " 

And  still  they  come.  Here  are  the  deserving  poor; 
creatures  of  circumstance,  beaten  down  by  "  disaster, 
following  fast  and  following  faster."  Among  them 
are  many  wives  and  mothers,  blue-lipped  and  hollow- 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    POVERTY       149 

cheeked,  with  little  children,  wan  and  sorrowful, 
clinging  to  their  skirts.  They  are  as  innocent  of 
blame  as  the  sparrows  chirping  in  our  streets.  Vic- 
tims of  heredity,  victims  of  misfortune,  victims  of 
disease;  doing  their  best — and  doing  it  vainly — to 
keep  the  wolf  from  the  door.  They  are  wards  of 
society  and  must  be  provided  for.  The  injunction  of 
the  Master  is,  "  Give  ye  them  to  eat." 

I.  Let  it  be  observed  that  this  ministry  of  Charity 
is  a  part  of  the  business  of  the  Christian  Church. 

There  are  sentimentalists  who  affirm  that  the  sum 
total  of  Christianity  is  charity.  That,  however,  is  not 
so.  Its  purpose  is  summed  up  in  a  single  word, 
Salvation.  But  let  there  be  no  mistake ;  by  salvation 
is  meant  not  merely  deliverance  from  spiritual  death, 
but  the  uplifting  of  the  whole  man.  Is  the  soul  im- 
mortal? So  is  the  body;  since  it  furnishes  the  germ 
of  the  spiritual  tabernacle  in  which  we  are  destined 
to  dwell  through  the  eternal  ages.  The  mission  of 
Christ  was  to  save  body  and  soul,  the  whole  man. 
We  are  bound  to  say,  therefore,  that  kindness  is  an 
essential  factor  of  practical  Christianity ;  a  kindness 
that  covers  the  entire  circumference  of  human  life. 
The  best  definition  that  has  ever  been  given  of  re- 
ligion is  that  of  the  Apostle  James,  to  wit,  "  Pure 
religion  and  undefiled  before  God  the  Father,  is  this, 
To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction, 
and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world."  More 
briefly,  it  is  to  be  good  and  to  do  good  as  we  have 
opportunity  unto  all  men.  More  briefly  still,  it  is 
character  plus  beneficence ;  a  beneficence  which  has 
to  do  as  well  with  the  brief  handbreadth  of  our  pres- 
ent life  as  with  that  which  lies  further  on. 


150  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

II.  The  church  has  been  attending  to  this  business 
more  or  less  faithfully  ever  since  the  beginning  of 
the  Christian  Era. 

To  hear  the  criticisms  of  a  certain  class  of  censori- 
ous people,  one  would  suppose  that  the  church  had 
been  doing  nothing  but  praying  and  singing  hymns, 
dreaming  of  heaven  and  sending  flannel  garments  to 
Borria  Boola  Gha.  A  brief  excursus  into  history  will 
correct  that  impression. 

At  the  time  of  the  advent  of  Christ  the  world,  so 
far  as  known,  consisted  of  a  narrow  fringe  of  nations 
around  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  all  of  which  had  been 
subjected  to  the  domination  of  Rome.  The  world 
outside  was  still  in  the  darkness  of  barbarism.  As 
to  the  condition  of  those  who  were  embraced  in  the 
Roman  Empire  it  is  summed  up  in  a  sentence  of 
Uhlhorn's :    "  It  was  a  world  without  love." 

In  the  Empire  there  were  three  classes  of  people : 
First,  the  Patricians.  Of  these  there  were  about  ten 
thousand  in  the  Imperial  City  and  they  constituted  the 
ruling  order.  They  lived  in  luxury,  dwelt  in  palaces, 
arrayed  themselves  in  purple  and  fine  linen  and  fared 
sumptuously  every  day.  Second,  the  Plebeians.  There 
were  three  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  of  these  in 
Rome.  They  were  too  proud  to  work,  holding  that 
to  be  the  business  of  slaves.  How  did  they  live?  On 
the  bounty  of  the  Patricians.  At  the  beginning  of 
every  month  they  received  tickets  called  tessarce,  which 
entitled  them  to  draw  five  bushels  of  wheat  per 
capita,  besides  giving  them  admission  to  the  public 
games.  Third,  Slaves;  who  constituted  the  bulk  of 
the  population.  For  the  most  part  they  were  captives 
of  war.     Of  these  there  were  above  a  million  in  the 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    POVERTY       151 

city.  All  labor  was  performed  by  them ;  they  built 
the  walls,  roads,  palaces,  aqueducts  and  other  public 
works.  They  lived  in  ergastula,  which  were  abject 
tenements  divided  into  stalls.  They  were  treated  with 
less  consideration  than  beasts  of  burden. 

Into  that  "  world  without  love  "  came  Jesus.  His 
purpose  was  to  reform  it.  His  enemies  said,  "  He 
turneth  the  world  upside  down."  This  indeed  he 
meant  to  do,  since  only  so  could  it  be  turned  right 
side  up.  At  the  outset  of  his  ministry,  in  his  sermon 
at  Nazareth,  he  announced  his  mission  on  this  wise : 
"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor;  he  hath 
sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliver- 
ance to  the  captives  and  recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind, 
and  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised;  to  preach 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  He  went  every- 
where ministering  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 
He  gathered  about  him  a  company  of  fishermen  and 
other  humble  folk,  who  were  destined  to  be  the 
nucleus  of  the  church,  and  sent  them  out  to  preach 
and  minister  in  the  same  way.  He  came  at  length 
to  Calvary,  where  he  was  crucified,  on  a  hilltop,  by 
the  wayside,  with  his  hands  stretched  out. 

It  is  thus  evident  that  his  purpose  was  to  uplift  the 
masses,  to  bring  about  such  a  betterment  of  temporal 
and  spiritual  conditions  as  would  ultimately  establish 
his  kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness  on  earth. 
This  was  not  to  be  accomplished  in  a  day,  or  a  year, 
or  a  century;  but  forces  were  set  in  operation  which 
were  destined  finally  to  right  all  wrongs,  equalize  all 
classes  and  bring  in  the  Golden  Age. 

As  we  look  back  over  the  centuries  which  have 


152  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

passed,  we  may  easily  see  what  the  Gospel  has  been 
doing-  to  this  end.  The  leaven  has  been  gradually  but 
surely  leavening  the  lump.  Let  us  inquire  more  spe- 
cifically what  Jesus  has  been  doing  through  his  church 
during  these  eighteen  hundred  years. 

(i)  He  has  taught  and  emphasized  the  equality  of 
man. 

This  was  practically  a  new  doctrine  when  he  an- 
nounced it.  He  was  himself  a  man  of  the  people. 
One  of  his  distinctive  titles  was  The  Son  of  Man. 
His  ministry  was  among  the  multitudes.  In  the 
organization  of  his  church  "  not  many  mighty,  not 
many  noble  were  called."  The  genius  of  his  ministry 
was  formulated  by  the  Apostle  Paul  in  a  manifesto 
which  was  destined  to  be  the  source  of  all  the  historic 
symbols  of  civil  and  ecclesiastical  freedom ;  namely, 
"  God  hath  created  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men." 
And  whatever  may  be  said  against  the  Church — which 
is  by  no  means  perfect — this  must  be  conceded,  that 
it  is  the  one  place  where  the  rich  and  poor  meet  to- 
gether, acknowledging  that  the  Lord  is  the  Maker 
of  them  all.  In  the  philosophy  of  Jesus  there  is  no 
caste.  Jew  and  Greek,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  and 
free,  are  all  one  in  him ;  because  there  is  "  one  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all." 

(2)  He  has  taught  and  enforced  the  dignity  of 
labor. 

A  divine  wisdom  is  manifest  in  the  fact  that  Jesus, 
coming  from  heaven  under  a  commission  to  exalt  the 
multitude,  took  part  with  them  in  the  fellowship  of 
toil.  He  was  himself  a  carpenter.  He  knew  what 
it  was  to  grow  weary  in  a  workshop ;  and  all  honest 
workmen  are  dignified  by  this  association  with  him. 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    POVERTY       153 

Indolence  is  dishonorable.  The  plebeians  of  Rome 
would  not  work  because  they  were  free  men.  Christ 
was  a  free  man,  but  he  was  no  plebeian.  The  founda- 
tion of  the  Third  Estate  was  laid  in  the  shop  of  Naz- 
areth where  he  made  plows  for  the  neighboring  farm- 
ers and  mended  the  furniture  of  the  village  people. 
He  taught  by  both  precept  and  example  that  an  honest 
man  must  be  a  producer,  contributing  by  sweat  of 
brain  and  brawn  to  the  public  good. 

(3)  He  introduced  the  wage  system. 

This  is  not  to  say  that  wages  were  not  previously 
paid  for  labor  in  individual  or  sporadic  cases ;  but 
there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  wage  system  until  he 
formulated  it.  This  he  did  when  he  laid  down  the 
proposition,  "  The  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire."  Up 
to  that  time  work  was  under  compulsion  of  the  lash, 
and  whatever  the  toiler  received  was  not  in  the  nature 
of  desert,  but  gratuity.  The  custom  of  giving  "  tips  " 
for  service  in  our  time  is  a  return  to  pre-Christian 
barbarism.  The  self-respect  of  an  honest  laborer 
should  lead  him  to  accept  only  that  which  he  earns. 
He  takes  his  pay  because  he  is  entitled  to  it. 

(4)  The  Gospel  has  brought  about,  by  its  operation 
through  the  centuries,  a  more  equable  distribution 
of  wealth. 

It  is  sometimes  said  by  thoughtless  people  "  The 
rich  are  growing  richer  and  the  poor  are  growing 
poorer."  This  is  distinctly  not  true.  The  rich  are 
growing  richer,  but  the  poor  are  growing  richer  too. 
This  will  appear  from  a  momentary  survey  of  facts. 
The  Borough  of  Manhattan  has  a  population  of  about 
two  millions,  which  is  almost  precisely  that  of  the 
ancient  city  of  Rome.     In  Rome  the  wealth  was  ex- 


154  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

clnsively  in  the  hands  of  a  favored  few,  certainly  less 
than  ten  thousand  patricians ;  the  remainder — nineteen 
hundred  and  ninety  thousand,  in  round  numbers — con- 
sisted of  penniless  plebeians  and  slaves  without  a 
denarius  to  their  name.  These  were  the  proletariat. 
Who  will  undertake  to  say  that  conditions  are  no 
better  in  the  city  of  New  York?  Things  are  not  ideal 
by  any  means,  but  by  contrast  they  are  as  noon  to  mid- 
night. We  sometimes  speak  of  "  the  submerged 
tenth  " ;  in  Rome  it  was  the  submerged  one-hundred- 
and-ninety-nine  two-hundredths !  It  is  so  far  from 
being  true  that  all  money  is  in  the  hands  of  ten  thou- 
sand of  our  population  that  one  may  venture  to  say 
that  there  are  not  ten  thousand  without  it.  He  is  a 
rare  man,  nowadays,  who  does  not  know  the  crisp 
rustle  of  paper  money  or  the  clink  of  coin.  It  is  true 
we  have  many  millionaires,  not  a  few  of  whom,  how- 
ever, have  come  up  from  the  ranks ;  it  is  equally  true 
that  the  great  majority  of  the  people  belong  to  the 
self-supporting  class,  who,  so  far  from  soliciting 
charity,  ask  no  odds  of  any  man. 

(5)  The  Church  of  Christ  has  ameliorated  the 
condition  of  the  masses  by  providing  institutions  for 
the  relief  of  the  poor  and  suffering. 

The  world  is  no  longer  "  a  world  without  love." 
The  genius  of  the  gospel  has  come  down  through  the 
centuries  like  Milton's  angel  of  the  morning;  and 
along  its  pathway  have  sprung  up  asylums,  hospitals, 
protectories,  reformatories,  beneficences  of  every 
sort.  If  those  who  are  disposed  to  find  fault  with  the 
Church  in  this  particular  will  take  the  trouble  to  look 
over  the  Directory  of  the  Associated  Charities  of  New 
York,  they  will  discover  that  the  work  done  by  purely 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    POVERTY       155 

secular  agencies  is  wholly  inconsiderable  when  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  various  religious  organizations. 
It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say,  in  the  light  of  statistics, 
that  there  is  more  of  practical  charity  in  the  little 
finger  of  the  Church  than  in  the  loins  of  the  godless 
world.  No  longer  must  Lazarus  sit  at  the  gate  of 
Dives  waiting  for  crumbs.  No  longer  need  the  lame 
and  withered  and  halt  lie  in  the  porches  of  Bethesda 
waiting  for  the  moving  of  the  waters.  Thanks  to 
the  compassionate  Christ,  the  poor  and  suffering  of 
Christendom  are  cared  for.  Thus  through  his  church 
our  Lord  has  been  bettering  the  condition  of  the 
masses.  The  cry  of  Socialism  is,  "  Down  with  the 
rich !  Down  with  the  aristocracy !  "  Not  so  does 
Christ  meet  the  problem.  The  philosophy  of  his  gos- 
pel is  one  that  proposes  to  regenerate  society  not  by 
impoverishing  the  Avenues,  but  by  improving  the 
slums.  It  aims  to  reform  not  by  leveling  down,  but 
by  leveling  up. 

III.  But  the  business  of  the  church  is  not  finished 
yet. 

We  have  the  remnant  of  the  poor  still  with  us ;  and 
the  question  is,  What  are  we  to  do  for  those  who  are 
unable  to  provide  for  themselves?  There  is  a  right 
way  and  there  is  a  wrong  way  of  helping  them. 
"  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor."  The  word 
"  consider "  suggests  the  need  of  careful  thought. 
The  usual  way  of  giving  is  by  impulse ;  sentimentally, 
indiscriminately  and  often  ostentatiously.  It  is  to  feed 
the  hungry  as  if  bodily  hunger  were  all.  It  is  to 
clothe  the  naked  as  if  the  soul  needed  no  "  fine  linen 
clean  and  white."  It  is  to  care  for  the  physical  with 
little  or  no  regard  for  the  immortal  man. 


156  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

The  better  way  is  to  give  in  the  spirit  of  Christ. 
He  fed  the  five  thousand  and,  at  the  same  time,  de- 
clared unto  them  the  unsearchable  riches  of  his  grace. 
He  ministered  to  the  whole  man.  He  was  not  deaf  to 
the  appeal  for  bread,  but  was  mindful  that,  after  all, 
the  matter  of  supreme  importance  was  the  welfare  of 
the  soul.  We  are  not  infrequently  criticised  for  giv- 
ing "  a  loaf  wrapped  up  in  a  tract."  It  is  said  that 
we  forget  the  importance  of  things  here  and  now  in 
our  passion  for  "  other-worldliness."  It  was  in  this 
spirit  that  the  man  of  Cherioth  found  fault  with  the 
woman  who  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  saying, 
"  What  a  waste  of  ointment !  It  might  have  been  sold 
for  three  hundred  pence  and  given  to  the  poor."  The 
religious  factor  is  thus  ruled  out  of  beneficence. 
Everything  for  the  body,  nothing  for  the  soul.  Every- 
thing for  time,  nothing  for  eternity !  The  other  way 
is  the  better,  if  it  be  true  that  the  mendicant  is  a 
man  made  in  God's  likeness  and  destined  to  live  for- 
ever. In  a  little  while  the  body  will  return  to  dust ; 
but  the  soul  will  live  through  endless  seons.  It  is 
relatively  of  slight  importance  whether  the  body, 
when  it  is  presently  carried  into  the  graveyard,  is 
sleek  and  comely  and  wrapped  in  a  satin  winding- 
sheet,  or,  worn  and  shrunken,  in  a  cotton  shroud ; 
since  the  real  man  will  have  passed  beyond  the  reach 
of  all  mere  problems  of  food  and  raiment.  The  ques- 
tion of  highest  importance  then  will  be,  Was  he  rich 
toward  God?  It  is  a  poor  makeshift  for  charity  that 
puts  a  roof  over  a  beggar's  head  and  sends  him  out 
homeless  into  eternity.  Such  one-sided  charity  does 
not  pay  deference  to  the  true  dignity  of  man. 

We  are  bound  to  follow  Jesus  in  our  endeavor  to 


THE    PROBLEM    OF    POVERTY       157 

solve  this  problem.  It  is  sound  logic  to  convert  the 
soul  while  we  relieve  the  necessities  of  the  body,  since 
in  so  doing  we  set  a  man  upon  his  feet  and  enable 
him  to  care  for  himself.  Sin  is  the  bitter  root  of  pov- 
erty. To  bring  a  man  to  Christ  is  to  take  him  out  of 
the  ranks  of  the  beggars;  inasmuch  as  there  is  no 
Christianity  without  self-respect,  and  self-respect  in- 
volves the  duty  of  earning  an  honest  livelihood.  So 
then  to  say,  "  Come  to  Jesus,"  as  we  give  the  crust, 
is  to  lend  ourselves  both  to  the  regeneration  of  the 
individual  and  the  reformation  of  society. 

This  is,  moreover,  to  help  the  needy  not  for  a  brief 
moment,  but  forever.  Such  was  the  spirit  of  Christ; 
the  Christ  who  cared  for  body  and  soul  alike ;  who  had 
compassion  on  the  multitude  crying  for  perishable 
bread  but  needing  more  the  bread  "  of  which  if  a  man 
eat  he  shall  never  hunger  " ;  who  stood  at  the  crossing 
of  the  ways,  offering  his  precious  wares  to  the  passer- 
by :  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the 
waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money,  come  ye,  buy,  and 
eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without  money  and 
without  price!  Wherefore  do  ye  spend  your  money 
for  that  which  is  not  bread,  and  your  labor  for  that 
which  satisfieth  not?  Hearken  diligently  unto  me, 
and  eat  ye  that  which  is  good,  and  let  your  soul  de- 
light itself  in  fatness.  Incline  your  ear,  and  come 
unto  me ;  hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live !  " 


XV 

A    FRIEND    IN    NEED 

In  which  he  finds  a  lonely  man  in  a  sorrowful  predicament 
and  lends  a  helping  hand. 

Now  there  is  in  Jerusalem  by  the  sheep  gate  a  pool, 
which  is  called  in  Hebrew  Bethcsda,  having  five  porches. 
In  these  lay  a  multitude  of  them  that  were  sick,  blind, 
halt,  withered.  And  a  certain  man  was  there,  who  had 
been  thirty  and  eight  years  in  his  infirmity. 

Jesus  to  the  Paralytic:  "  Wouldcst  thou  be  made 
whole?" 

The  Paralytic:  "Sir,  I  have  no  man,  when  the  water  is 
troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pool:  but  while  I  am  coming, 
another  steppeth  down  before  me." 

Jesus:     "Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk." 

And  straightway  the  man  was  made  whole,  and  took 
up  his  bed  and  zvalkcd. — John  v,  2-9. 

The  limit  of  castigation  under  the  Roman  law  was 
"  forty  stripes  save  one."  The  man  at  Bethesda 
should  therefore  have  been  near  the  end  of  his  tether, 
since  he  had  suffered  under  a  whip  of  scorpions  for 
thirty-eight  years;  so  long  that  the  heart  had  almost 
gone  out  of  him.  He  had  company  enough,  such  as 
it  was ;  since  the  porches  were  full  of  "  lame,  halt  and 
withered  " ;  but  there  was  not  one  among  them  who 
was  not  looking  out  for  himself.  At  times,  when  the 
surface  of  the  intermittent  spring  began  to  be  agi- 
tated, the  cry  was  raised,  "  The  waters  move !  "  and 
while  all  were  struggling  toward  the  pool,  this  help- 

158 


A    FRIEND    IN    NEED  159 

less  cripple  strove  desperately,  but  in  vain.  He  was 
jostled  aside.  Too  late !  His  oft-repeated  disappoint- 
ments had  dulled  and  hardened  him.  The  voice  of 
Jesus,  walking-  through  the  porches,  was  calculated 
to  stimulate  his  sensibilities.  "  Wouldest  thou  be 
made  whole  ?  "  Would  he !  The  answer  was  in  a 
tone  of  utter  helplessness,  the  lament  of  one  aban- 
doned to  his  fate :  "  Sir,  I  have  no  man,  when  the 
waters  are  moved,  to  help  me  in !  " 

It  is  the  law  of  life :  the  survival  of  the  fittest.  In 
the  scramble  for  fame  and  fortune  the  best  must 
win.  There  are  voices  on  every  side,  applause  and 
laughter;  but  alas,  many  are  alone  in  the  crowd. 
There  is  no  wilderness  like  a  thronged  city.  It  is 
the  home  of  the  solitary.  In  and  out,  threading  their 
way  among  the  multitude,  go  men  and  women  bear- 
ing their  burdens  without  a  word  of  sympathy,  with- 
out a  hand  stretched  forth  to  relieve  them.  The 
waters  ever  moving,  and  not  a  friend  to  put  them  in. 

Alone,  alone !    All,  all  alone ! 

Alone  on  a  wide,   wide  sea; 
So  lonely  'twas  that  God  himself 

Scarce  seemed  there  to  be. 

It  is  to  the  man  alone  in  the  crowd  that  Jesus 
comes,  as  he  came  to  Bethesda,  with  his  proffer  of 
friendship.  His  heart  is  moved  with  infinite  compas- 
sion; since  he  himself  was  ever  a  lonely  man.  He 
carried  with  him  from  his  boyhood  a  great  secret 
which  separated  him  from  all  about  him.  He  had  the 
kindest  heart  that  ever  beat  in  a  human  breast,  yet 
his  nearest  friends  and  neighbors  hid  as  it  were  their 


160  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

faces  from  him.  He  carried  his  burden  alone.  As 
he  passed  under  the  shadow  of  the  olive  trees  in  Geth- 
semane  he  left  three  companions  to  watch  while  he 
went  on  into  the  deeper  darkness  to  drink  the  bitter 
cup  of  death ;  and  presently,  finding  them  asleep,  he 
said  with  infinite  tenderness  of  reproach,  "  Could  ye 
not  watch  with  me  one  hour?"  He  trod  the  wine- 
press alone  and  of  the  people  there  was  none  with 
him.  On  the  cross  he  went  down,  deeper  still,  into 
the  night  of  solitude  until  the  awful  cry  was  wrung 
from  him,  Eloi,  Eloi  lama  sabacthani! 

So  lonely  'twas  that  God  himself 
Scarce  seemed  there  to  be. 

Yes,  he  can  be  "  touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  in- 
firmities." He  knows  what  it  is  to  be  alone  in  the 
crowd ;  and  it  means  much  when  he  offers  to  befriend 
us. 

I.  The  hour  when  a  man  clasps  hands  with  Jesus, 
in  token  of  friendship,  is  the  crucial  hour  of  life ;  for 
this  compact  is  nothing  less  than  Conversion. 

It  is  a  revolution  in  the  soul.  It  is  a  turning  "  right 
about  face."  The  hand  which  a  man  clasps  in  that 
tremendous  hour  is  a  strong  hand ;  the  same  that 
framed  the  world  and  spun  it  out  upon  its  orbit  in 
infinite  space.  It  is  a  loving  hand,  warm  with  all  the 
sympathy  of  divine  grace.  It  is  a  pierced  hand ;  no 
one  can  feel  its  touch  for  an  instant  without  appre- 
hending the  fact  that  he  was  "  wounded  for  our  trans- 
gressions and  bruised  for  our  iniquities,  that  by  his 
stripes  we  might  be  healed."  To  grasp  that  hand  is 
to  part  company  with  the  "  certain  fearful-looking-for 


A    FRIEND    IN    NEED  161 

of  judgment "  and  enter  into  an  assurance  that  sin  is 
blotted  out. 

II.  But  the  friendship  of  Jesus  means  more  than 
salvation  from  the  penalty  of  sin ;  it  means  that  he 
stands  ready  now  to  assist  us  in  the  formulation  of 
our  Creed. 

No  sooner  is  a  man  converted  to  Christ  than  he 
perforce  begins  to  inquire  "  What  shall  I  believe  con- 
cerning the  great  verities  that  centre  in  him  ?  "  And 
thenceforth  the  word  of  the  Master  is  his  Court  of 
Last  Appeal.  This  is  not  the  way  of  the  world.  The 
average  man  gets  his  creed  by  heredity  or  environ- 
ment; he  borrows  it  from  those  around  him.  Here 
is  the  way  Shakespeare  puts  it: 

Hamlet:  Do  you  see  that  cloud  that's  in  shape  almost  like 
a  camel? 

Polonius :  By  the  mass,  'tis  a  camel  indeed. 
Hamlet:  Methinks  'tis  a  weasel. 
Polonius :  'Tis  backed  like  a  weasel. 
Hamlet:  Or  like  a  whale. 
Polonius:    Very  like  a  whale. 

So  a  man  is  likely  to  get  from  the  next  man  his  opin- 
ions as  to  the  problems  of  life.  But  he  who  has 
clasped  hands  with  Jesus  is  bound  to  believe  what  he 
says. 

The  Christian  is  a  "  disciple  "  of  Christ ;  that  is,  a 
pupil  sitting  at  his  feet.  If  he  inquire,  "  What  shall  I 
believe  about  God?"  the  answer  is,  "When  ye  pray, 
say  Our  Father  " ;  and,  so  far  as  the  Christian  is  con- 
cerned, that  ends  it.  If  he  ask,  "  What  shall  I  be- 
lieve about  the  Bible?"  the  answer  is,  "Search  the 
Scriptures;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life 


162  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

and  these  are  they  which  testify  of  me  " ;  and  if  he  is 
a  true  Christian,  though  he  dwell  in  a  very  cyclone 
of  controversy  as  to  the  authority  of  Holy  Writ,  he 
takes  his  Master's  word  for  it.  So,  also,  as  to  the 
problems  of  immortality  and  heaven  and  hell.  He 
has  made  a  covenant  of  friendship  with  One  whose 
wisdom  and  authority  are  final  for  him.  "  To  whom 
shall  we  go,  O  Lord,  but  unto  thee?  Thou  only  hast 
the  words  of  eternal  life." 

III.  The  friendship  of  Jesus  means,  also,  that  he 
marks  out  the  Conduct  of  our  Life. 

We  are  bound  not  to  be  taken  up  in  the  lips  of  talk- 
ers, and  not  to  go  with  the  multitude  to  do  evil.  The 
way  of  the  world,  in  questions  of  right  and  wrong,  is 
to  follow  the  fashion.  A  few  days  ago  at  Sunshine 
Mission  the  members  of  the  Boys'  Club,  taking  um- 
brage at  some  ruling  of  their  teacher,  raised  the  cry, 
"  One  out ;  all  out !  "  and  away  they  went.  The 
masons  and  bricklayers  are  just  now  doing  the  same 
thing  in  a  larger  way.  "  Follow  the  leader."  We  go 
like  sheep  after  the  bell-wether: 

Crooked  or  straight,  through  quags  and  thorny  dells 
True  to  the  jingling  of  the  leader's  bells. 

But  the  man  who  has  accepted  Christ  is  bound  to 
consult  him  in  all  questions  of  conscience  and  to  ac- 
cept his  decision  as  final  and  conclusive.  He  must 
stand  like  the  three  youths  in  Babylon,  unmoved  by 
the  sound  of  cornet  and  flute  and  sackbut  and  psal- 
tery, while,  amid  the  adulations  of  the  multitude,  the 
great  image  goes  by.  The  command  is,  "  Bow  low !  " 
He  answers,  "  Be  it  known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that 


A    FRIEND    IN    NEED  163 

I  will  not  serve  thy  gods  nor  worship  the  golden 
image  which  thou  hast  set  up."  He  may  be  thrown 
into  the  fiery  furnace  for  his  devotion  to  his  Master's 
will ;  but  in  that  furnace  he  has  the  company  of  One 
like  unto  the  Son  of  God,  and  out  of  it  he  emerges 
without  the  smell  of  fire  upon  him.  If  much  is  sacri- 
ficed by  turning  aside,  in  this  manner,  from  the 
world's  dictum  to  follow  our  Lord  alone,  there  is 
great  compensation  in  knowing  that  he  will  stand 
by  us. 

IV.  To  clasp  hands  with  Jesus  in  a  compact  of 
friendship  means,  still  further,  that  we  enter  upon 
his  Service  and  take  the  place  which  he  assigns  us. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  being  a  Christian  is 
merely  receiving  Christ  as  our  Saviour  from  sin ;  it 
is  living  a  new  sort  of  life ;  it  is  yielding  ourselves, 
body  and  soul,  to  the  service  of  Christ's  kingdom ;  it 
is  to  call  him  Lord  and  Master.  We  are  thenceforth 
not  our  own,  but  his,  "  bought  with  a  price,  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  Jesus  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish 
and  without  spot."  The  love  of  Christ  now  constrains 
us.  He  has  work  for  us  to  do.  "  Say  not  it  is  yet 
four  months  and  then  cometh  the  harvest;  lift  up 
your  eyes  and  see!  The  fields  are  already  white  unto 
the  harvest !  "  We  can  no  longer  stand  idle  in  the 
market  place  as  those  who  take  no  interest  in  the 
salvation  of  the  world.  He  puts  the  sickle  in  our 
hands  and  says,  "  Go,  reap  for  me !  "  Nay,  better 
than  that ;  he  says,  "  Come,  reap  with  me."  I  am  a 
"  laborer  together  with  him."  I  do  not  toil  alone ; 
he  toils  with  me.  Oh,  the  infinite  strength  there  is 
in  realizing  it. 


164  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

One  more  day's  work  for  Jesus; 
One  less  of  life  for  me! 

But  heaven  is  nearer, 

And   Christ   is   dearer, 
Than  yesterday  to  me; 

His  love'  and  light 

Fill  all  my  soul  to-night 

O  blessed  work  for  Jesus! 
O  rest  at  Jesus'  feet! 

There  toil  seems  pleasure. 
My  wants  are  treasure. 
And  pain  for  him  is  sweet, 
Lord,  if  I  may, 
I'll  serve  another  day. 

V.  It  means,  moreover,  that  Christ  as  our  loyal 
Friend  will  share  our  Sorrows. 

The  deepest  loneliness  that  ever  comes  to  a  mortal 
man  is  in  the  Vale  of  Baca.  It  was  there  that  the 
Psalmist  wrote,  "  I  watch  and  am  alone,  like  a  spar- 
row on  the  housetop."  He  was  not  thinking  of  the 
gregarious,  loquacious  sparrow  with  which  we  are  so 
familiar,  that  holds  noisy  parliament  in  our  streets, 
and  chirps  his  optimism  to  every  passerby ;  but  of  the 
lone  and  solitary  blue-breast  of  the  Orient  that  is  never 
seen  in  company  but  pipes  a  monotonous  and  melan- 
choly note  moving  the  hearer  to  tears,  as  if  some  recent 
sorrow  were  pressing  a  thorn  to  the  singer's  breast. 
Ah,  how  many  a  man  is  thus  alone !  But  never  the 
friend  of  Jesus :  he  cannot  be  alone  in  adversity.  His 
yoke  is  always  a  yoke  for  two;  and  the  strong  Friend 
is  beside  him.  The  sympathy  of  that  Friend  is  infi- 
nitely strong  and  helpful. 

We  can  only  say  to  one  another  at  best,  "  I  am  sorry 
for  you."    And  our  words  are  oftentimes  as  vinegar 


A    FRIEND    IN    NEED  165 

on  nitre.  But  his  is  the  sympathy  of  omnipotence  and 
his  words  give  "  beauty  for  ashes  and  the  oil  of  joy  for 
mourning !  "  He  stands  beside  us  at  the  open  grave,  as 
he  did  at  Bethany,  pointing  us  away  from  its  darkness 
to  the  light  of  the  open  heavens,  saying,  "  He  that  liv- 
eth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die." 

VI.  And  the  friendship  of  Jesus  means  that  we 
shall  not  be  left  alone  in  the  swellings  of  the  Jordan. 

We  make  the  last  voyage  alone,  our  weeping  kins- 
folk standing  on  the  shore  and  giving  us  farewell.  Oh, 
if  they  could  but  go  a  little  further  with  us !  We  go 
alone,  did  I  say  ?  Nay ;  "  thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they 
comfort  me."  I  have  stood  by  deathbeds  again  and 
again  when  Christians  were  passing  out  of  human 
sight,  and  never  once  have  I  known  one  to  die  other- 
wise than  peacefully  or  triumphantly.  In  the  hour 
when  other  friends  and  kinsfolk  are  impotent,  he  girds 
himself  to  sustain  us.  "  The  best  of  all,"  said  Wesley 
in  his  last  hour,  "  is  Immanuel,  God  with  us ! " 

And  after  death,  the  judgment;  where  each  for 
himself  must  answer  before  God.  One  man  alone,  at 
the  Great  Assize !    Is  there  none  to  stand  beside  him  ? 

Arise,  my  soul,  arise, 

Shake  off  thy  guilty  fears; 

The  bleeding   Sacrifice 

In  my  behalf  appears; 

Before  the  throne  my  Surety  stands, 

My  name  is  written  on  His  hands. 

Five  bleeding  wounds  He  bears, 
Received   on    Calvary ; 
They  pour  effectual  prayers, 
They  strongly  plead  for  me: — 
Forgive  him,  O   forgive,  they  cry, 
Nor  let  that  ransom'd  sinner  die. 


166  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

And  then?  The  Father's  house!  Forth  from  the 
great  tribunal  the  friend  of  Jesus  passes  into  the 
Communion  of  Saints  and  general  assembly  of  the 
first-born.  He  shall  be  lonely  no  more  forever.  Oh, 
glorious  fellowship !  The  Father's  house !  Lights, 
laughter  and  merry-making !  No  more  selfishness, 
no  misunderstandings,  no  alienations,  no  friendless- 
ness  forever  and  ever.     Home,  sweet  home ! 

And  this  friendship  of  Jesus,  so  strong,  helpful, 
eternal,  is  to  be  had  for  the  taking.  His  hand  is 
stretched  out.  He  comes  to  every  lonely  man,  as  he 
came  to  the  cripple  at  Bethesda,  with  a  kindly  proffer 
of  help.  Shall  we  seal  the  compact?  We  have  can- 
vassed the  high  privileges  and  grave  responsibilities 
which  are  involved  in  it.  Are  we  ready  to  clasp  hands 
with  him  ? 

In  the  year  1808  the  audience-hall  of  the  Palace  of 
Erfurt  was  crowded  with  a  throng  of  kings  and 
princes  who  had  assembled  to  witness  the  sealing  of  an 
imperial  alliance.  Up  over  the  throne  was  the  legend, 
"  The  friendship  of  a  great  man  is  a  gift  from  the 
gods."  Alexander,  the  Czar  of  Russia,  advanced  to 
meet  Napoleon,  saying,  "  I  experience  the  truth  of 
that  sentiment  to-day."  And  Napoleon,  who  shared 
with  him  the  honors  of  the  world's  arena  at  that  time, 
answered,  "  I  reciprocate  your  felicitations  and  clasp 
hands  with  you."  The  compact  was  greeted  with  a 
burst  of  applause.  Alas,  it  was  mere  pantomime,  a 
hollow  mockery.  A  little  later  the  armies  of  Alex- 
ander and  Napoleon  were  marching  against  each  other 
with  fire  in  their  eyes. 

It  is  not  thus  that  we  begin  our  friendship  with 
Christ.     This  clasping  of  hands  is  no  empty  show.    If 


A   FRIEND    IN    NEED  167 

we  receive  him  at  all,  it  must  be  as  our  friend  for 
better  or  worse,  through  evil  and  good  report.  We 
take  him  to  be  our  Prophet,  Priest  and  King.  We 
promise  an  unceasing  loyalty,  in  return  for  his  un- 
speakable gifts.  We  walk  henceforth  hand  in  hand 
with  him  through  all  the  experiences  of  life  and  on 
into  eternity.     Friends  once;  friends  forever. 


XVI 

"ROOM    FOR   THE    LEPER!" 

In  which  he  discovers  faith  in  an  unexpected  quarter  and 
singularly  honors  it. 

And  when  he  was  come  down  from  the  mountain,  great 
multitudes  follozved  him.  And  behold,  there  came  to  him 
a  leper  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  if  thou  wilt, 
thou  canst  make  me  clean. 

Jesus,  touching  him:     "I  will;  be  thou  made  clean." 

And  straightway  his  leprosy  was  cleansed. 

Jesus:  "See  thou  tell  no  man;  but  go,  show  thyself 
to  the  priest,  and  offer  the  gift  that  Moses  commanded, 
for  a  testimony  unto  them." — Matt,  viii,  1-4  (cf.  Mark 
1-45- ) 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was  Christ's  Inaugural  on 
entering  upon  the  formal  administration  of  his  King- 
dom. And  it  was  delivered  with  a  royal  grace.  The 
scene  was  probably  at  the  Horns  of  Hattin,  a  double 
peak  on  the  western  shore  of  Gennesaret.  A  multi- 
tude had  gathered  there  from  the  villages  of  Galilee 
and  more  distant  parts ;  and  all  were  "  amazed  at  his 
wonderful  words." 

In  the  distance,  far  beyond  the  outskirts  of  the 
crowd,  stood  a  man  with  a  mantle  over  his  face.  "  The 
finger  of  God  "  was  upon  him ;  for  so  the  leprosy  was 
characterized  in  those  days.  Time  was  when  a  fond 
mother  had  held  him  in  her  arms  and  dreamed  dreams 
and  seen  visions  of  a  bright  future  before  him.  But 
as  the  years  passed,  perhaps  in  early  manhood,  there 

168 


"ROOM   FOR   THE    LEPER!"         169 

came  an  ominous  spot  in  his  flesh.  He  presented  him- 
self to  the  priest,  according  to  the  prescript  of  the 
law,  and  heard  the  sentence  of  doom.  He  issued  from 
the  temple  an  outcast,  life  stretching  before  him  as  a 
living  death. 

" '  Room  for  the  leper !  Room ! '    And  as  he  came 
The  cry  passed  on,  '  Room  for  the  leper, 
Room   for  the  leper ! '     And   aside  they  stood, 
Matron  and  child,  and  pitiless  manhood,  all 
Who  met  him  on  his  way,  and  let  him  pass. 
And  onward  through  the  open  gate  he  came, 
A  leper  with  the  ashes  on  his  brow. 

*  *  *  * 

So  he  went  forth  alone !     Not  one  of  all 
The  many  whom  he  loved,  nor  she'  whose  name 
Was  woven  in  the  fibres  of  the  heart 
Breaking  within  him  now,  to  come  and  speak 
Comfort  unto  him." 

He  thenceforth  made  his  abode  among  the  hills; 
where  he  felt  the  deeper  ravages  of  his  disease  from 
day  to  day.  It  preyed  upon  him  slowly,  surely,  until 
he  was  "  full  of  leprosy."  And  he  dwelt  alone !  Alone ! 
At  night  when  he  looked  toward  the  city  and  saw 
lights  kindling  in  happy  homes,  memories  came  crowd- 
ing thick  and  fast  upon  him.  And  crying  out  against 
fate,  he  sought  his  covert  among  the  rocks. 

He  stood  afar  that  day  with  his  mantle  drawn  and 
hand  upon  his  lips.  At  the  sound  of  any  approach- 
ing footfall,  he  cried  with  muffled  voice  and  a  strange 
rattle  in  his  throat,  "  Unclean !  unclean  !  "  He  watched 
the  crowd  gathering  upon  the  opposite  hill.  In  an  at- 
titude of  eagerness  he  bent  to  listen ;  from  the  distance 
came  the  voice  of  the  Teacher :  "  Blessed  are  the  poor 


170  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

in  spirit;  for  theirs  is  tlw  kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed 
are  they  that  mourn;  for  they  shall  be  comforted. 
Blessed  are  the  meek;  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 
Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness;  for  they  shall  be  filled.  Blessed  are 
the  pure  in  heart;  for  they  shall  see  God." 

Then  he  saw  a  commotion  among  the  people.  They 
were  bringing-  their  sick  to  be  healed;  the  lame  and 
halt  and  withered.  He  saw  cripples  at  the  touch 
of  Jesus  throw  away  their  crutches  and  the  blind  lift 
up  their  faces  to  the  blue  sky!  He  could  hear  them 
in  the  distance  praising  God ! 

And  with  this  came  the  suggestion  of  a  wondrous 
possibility :  perhaps  this  great  Physician  might  be  able 
to  heal  him !  It  was  a  forlorn  hope,  but  it  would  not 
pass.  It  was  like  a  day  star  of  promise  rising  in  the 
midnight  of  his  soul. 

The  assembly  was  breaking  up.  The  Teacher  was 
going  down  the  mountain  path.  Now  was  the  leper's 
opportunity.  Now  or  never !  With  the  hope  of 
healing  struggling  in  his  breast,  he  began  to  run. 
Necessity  knows  no  law.  He  forgot  to  draw  his 
mantle  over  his  face ;  forgot  to  keep  his  finger  on  his 
lip ;  forgot  to  cry,  "  Unclean !  "  forgot  the  statute  of 
limitation  that  should  have  restrained  him;  forgot  all 
but  his  tumultuous,  transcendent,  desperate  hope. 
And  as  he  ran,  he  cried,  "  Lord !  Lord !  Lord  "  and 
every  word  was  like  the  gasp  of  a  strangling  swimmer 
who  clutches  at  a  floating  spar. 

See  how  the  people  scatter  right  and  left.  Room 
for  the  leper!  He  reaches  Christ  and  falls  before 
him  crying,  "  Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me 
clean." 


"ROOM    FOR    THE    LEPER!"         171 

Observe  that  Confession  of  Faith. 

His  faith  shows  itself  not  only  in  the  address,  "Lord, 
Lord !  "  but  in  his  attitude ;  for  he  falls  first  upon  his 
knees  and  then  upon  his  face.  It  is  manifest  also  in 
his  saying,  "  If  thou  wilt." 

Can  faith  express  itself,  then,  with  an  "if"?  Is 
not  "  if  "  the  very  shibboleth  of  doubt  ?  Yes ;  but 
there  are  two  kinds  of  doubt,  as  there  are  two  twi- 
lights. One  is  the  doubt  of  the  self-sufficient  man 
who  loves  and  fondles  his  unbelief ;  and  it  deepens 
more  and  more  into  the  gloom  of  hopeless  night.  But 
the  other  is  as  the  twilight  of  the  morning,  which  grows 
brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.  This  is 
the  doubt  of  the  "  honest  doubter "  who  would  fain 
be  rid  of  it.  This  is  the  "  if  "  that  does  not  turn  its 
back  upon  the  Truth,  but  runs  and  kneels  and  throws 
itself  upon  its  face  before  Him.  Let  the  man  who 
thinks  himself  an  honest  doubter  lay  this  touchstone 
to  his  sincerity,  and  prove  himself  by  saying — 

"Just  as  I  am,  though  tossed  about 
With  many  a  conflict,  many  a  doubt, 
By   fears   within   and   foes   without, 
O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come ! " 

Observe,  also,  how  the  faith  of  this  leper  came  into 
immediate,  vital  contact  with  the  sympathy  of  Christ. 
"  And  Jesus,  moved  with  compassion,  said,  '  I  will.' 
Let  it  be  noted  that,  however  Jesus  may  have  delayed 
the  cure  of  other  patients,  on  occasion,  he  never  hesi- 
tated once,  for  a  moment,  to  answer  a  leper's  cry. 

And  as  he  spake  to  this  man,  he  "  put  forth  his 
hand  and  touched  him."  The  people  from  a  distance 
saw  this  and  were  amazed:     Had  he  forgotten  what 


172  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

was  written  in  the  law,  that  one  who  toucheth  a  leper 
is  unclean?  Had  he  not  just  said,  "  I  am  come  not  to 
destroy  the  law,  but  to  fulfill  it "?  Yes;  but  here  is  a 
new  and  higher  law  introduced  by  the  Lawgiver  him- 
self ;  as  it  is  written,  "  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the 
law." 

Here  is  the  Law  of  Love  at  its  highest  and  best; 
that  is,  in  the  form  of  sympathy.  "  And,  ltaving 
compassion,  he  stretched  forth  his  hand  and  touched 
him."  O  blessed  hand !  The  earthly  life  of  Jesus 
was  a  continuous  reaching  forth  of  the  divine  hand. 
The  incarnation  is  God  touching  humanity  and  com- 
ing into  sympathetic  union  with  it.  The  workshop, 
the  weary  journeys,  the  hunger  and  thirst  and  perse- 
cution, the  holy  passion;  these  are  God's  suffering 
with  us.  And  the  culmination  of  that  sympathy  is  at 
the  cross,  where  God  makes  bare  his  arm  and  touches 
man  so  closely  as  to  exchange  personalities  with  him, 
putting  himself  into  man's  place,  and  taking  vicar- 
iously into  his  own  body  the  shame  and  penalty  of 
human  sin.  In  our  search  for  a  true  "  theory  of  the 
atonement,"  may  we  not  pause  here?  The  cross  is 
not  violation  of  law,  but  fulfilment  of  it.  The  cross 
is  the  life-giving  touch  of  the  Elder  Brother  laid  in 
compassion  upon  the  children  of  men.  It  is  written 
that  "  Mercy  and  truth  meet  together,  and  Righteous- 
ness and  Peace  kiss  each  other  "  at  Calvary,  because 
the  divine  Code  reaches  its  consummation  in  this 
manifestation  of  love. 

But  how  is  it  that  Jesus  was  not  polluted  when  he 
touched  the  leper  ?  "  Can  a  man  touch  pitch  and  not 
be  defiled?"  Aye;  this  Man  could.  The  sun  can 
shine  upon  a  heap  of  offal  with  impunity,  because  it 


"ROOM   FOR   THE    LEPER!"         173 

has  "  healing  in  its  beams."  In  this  we  have  a  flash- 
light into  the  nature  and  character  of  Christ.  Let  no 
man,  who  cannot  heal  leprosy,  presume  to  touch  a 
leper!  Let  no  priest  in  whose  veins  runs  the  life 
current  of  hereditary  and  actual  sin  presume  to  say, 
Absolvo  te!  He  only,  who  by  virtue  of  immaculate 
personal  purity  can  so  emit  virtue  as  to  remit  sin, 
may  venture  to  touch  the  defiled,  since  the  leper  is  no 
longer  leprous  when  once  he  has  touched  him.  The 
hand  is  not  polluted  because  the  patient  is  cleansed 
by  it.  O  wonderful  hand !  The  only  hand  in  the  uni- 
verse that  could  do  it!  And  God  in  Christ  is  ever 
drawing  near,  in  this  manner,  to  touch  us.  There  is 
no  aloofness  in  him.  At  the  approach  of  the  drab  or 
the  drunkard  the  crowd  parts  asunder  and  the  saints 
withdraw  their  garments,  saying,  "  We  are  holier 
than  thou ! "  But  he,  the  Holy  One,  touches  them 
and  speaks  the  word  of  power  "  Be  thou  cleansed !  " 

This  leads  us  to  observe,  again,  how  the  faith  of  this 
leper  evoked  an  instant  demonstration  of  power. 

The  word  of  Jesus  was  with  authority ;  and  it  was 
an  authority  that  appealed  to  no  power  above  or  be- 
yond itself,  but  drew  upon  an  inward  Source.  He 
used  no  priestly  formula,  "  In  the  name  of  God  " ;  but 
spoke  for  himself,  "  I  will ;  be  thou  made  clean !  " 

But  was  there  power  behind  it?  Authority  is  not 
power;  nor  is  it  valid  except  it  be  buttressed  with  it. 
The  people  looking  on  were  moved,  no  doubt,  to  say 
within  themselves,  "  It  is  easy  to  say  Be  thou  cleansed, 
but  let  us  see  whether  the  healing  power  is  resident 
in  him." 

And  look!  The  man  has  leaped  to  his  feet,  a  leper 
no  more!     The  ghastly  hue  of  the  living  death  has 


174  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

gone ;  the  scales  have  fallen  from  his  face ;  his  flesh 
has  come  again  as  the  flesh  of  a  little  child.  The 
hand  of  Christ  has  healed  the  touch  of  "  the  finger  of 
God." 

What  does  this  mean?  How  did  the  people  inter- 
pret it  ?  Did  they  say,  "  By  this  we  are  given  to  un- 
derstand that  Jesus  has  power  to  heal  all  manner  of 
diseases,  even  this  loathsome  and  ineradicable  one  "  ? 
If  so,  they  came  infinitely  short  of  apprehending  its 
full  significance.  Here  is  the  fallacy  in  Christian 
Science  and  all  the  healing  charlatanries.  They  are 
utterly  selfish,  and  physically  selfish  at  that.  They 
proceed  upon  the  assumption  that  religion  is  first  and 
foremost  a  therapeutic  system.  As  if  the  chief  end  of 
man  were  to  rid  himself  of  gout  and  rheumatism !  As 
if  the  bodily  comfort  of  this  handbreath  of  three- 
score years  were  worthy  to  be  measured  against  the 
spiritual  life  of  unending  aeons  !  No,  no ;  the  meaning 
of  the  miracles  lies  further  on. 

The  real  point  of  them  is  to  show  that  Jesus  is  the 
great  Forgiver.  He  did  not  come  from  heaven  to 
work  miracles;  his  miracles  were  a  mere  incident 
along  the  way.  In  a  world  full  of  sufferers  it  was  a 
matter  of  comparatively  small  moment  that  he  should 
be  able  to  heal  a  few  sick  people  in  a  little  Province  in 
a  remote  corner  of  it.  But  if  he  could  thereby  demon- 
strate his  power  to  forgive  sin,  if  he  could  make  that 
manifest  to  all  the  world  and  through  all  the  gener- 
ations to  come,  ah,  that  would  be  worth  while!  Mil- 
lions of  sinners  were  longing  for  it ;  millions  and  mil- 
lions yet  unborn  were  destined  to  groan  and  travail 
for  it.  And  this  was  the  true  significance  of  his  works 
of  healing.     The  opening  of  blind  eyes  meant,  The 


"ROOM    FOR   THE    LEPER!"         175 

Son  of  Man  hath  power  on  earth  to  restore  spiritual 
sight.  The  healing  of  fever  patients  meant,  The  Son 
of  Man  hath  power  on  earth  to  quell  the  wildest  pas- 
sions of  the  heart.  The  healing  of  paralytics  meant, 
The  Son  of  Man  hath  power  on  earth  to  restore 
enfeebled  souls.  The  cleansing  of  this  leper  meant, 
The  Son  of  Man  hath  power  to  wash  away  the  scarlet 
stain  of  sin.  He  is  mighty  to  save !  He  is  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  will  come  by  faith  unto 
him. 

But  now,  observe  the  severe  test  which  was  put  upon 
the  faith  of  this  convalescent  leper. 

Jesus  said  unto  him,  "  See  thou  tell  no  man ;  but  go, 
show  thyself  unto  the  priest,  and  offer  the  gift  that 
Moses  commanded  for  a  testimony  unto  them."  A 
strange  injunction  surely.  What  was  the  purpose 
of  it? 

The  man  was  to  say  nothing  of  the  work  which 
had  been  wrought  upon  him.  Was  this  because  Jesus 
would  save  him  from  self-importance,  such  as 
we  sometimes  witness  in  the  testimony  of  those  who 
exploit  their  former  accomplishments  in  vice?  Or 
was  it  that  Jesus  would  avoid  a  throng  of  suppliants 
for  healing,  such  as  would  interrupt  his  great  work 
of  preaching  the  things  of  the  kingdom  of  God?  Or 
was  it  that  he  desired  to  stem  the  increasing  tide  of 
his  own  popularity  and  thus  prevent  such  a  provoca- 
tion of  the  religious  leaders  as  would  precipitate  the 
tragedy  which  he  was  to  accomplish  in  the  behalf  of 
men?  In  any  case  the  reasons  were  sufficient  to  the 
mind  of  Jesus  himself;  and  his  word  should  have  been 
ultimate  to  this  man. 

But  the  test  was  a  severe  one.     Put  yourself  in  the 


176  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

leper's  place.  He  was  required  to  hold  his  peace  and 
proceed  at  once  to  the  temple.  He  must  not  go  home 
to  tell  his  loved  ones.  No  backward  look  to  the  lepers 
still  unhealed  and  dwelling  among  the  rocks !  No 
tarrying  by  the  way.     Straight  to  the  temple ! 

Now  this  involved  a  silence  of  a  fortnight  or  more. 
It  would  take  a  week  or  thereabouts  for  him  to  reach 
Jerusalem ;  and  another  week  for  the  official  examina- 
tion at  the  gate,  and  then  another  for  the  offering  of 
the  turtle  doves  and  the  oblation  of  thanks  and  the 
priestly  anointing,  and  the  final  pronouncement, 
"  Thou  art  clean !  "  Not  until  then  would  the  ban  of 
silence  be  lifted.  "  Open  thou  my  lips  and  my  mouth 
shall  show  forth  thy  praise !  "  Think  what  a  burden 
this  put  upon  a  heart  that  was  bursting  with  eagerness 
to  proclaim  its  joy. 

At  this  point  the  leper's  case  broke  down.  He 
could  not  endure  the  test ;  he  "  began  to  publish  it 
much  and  to  blaze  abroad  the  matter,  insomuch  that 
Jesus  could  no  more  openly  enter  the  city,  but  was 
without  in  desert  places."  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that 
the  intent  of  Christ's  injunction  was  to  prevent  him 
from  making  an  open  confession.  He  merely  wished 
him  to  go  about  it  in  the  right  way.  He  was  to  lose 
no  time  in  empty  talk.  There  must  be  no  impulsive 
outcry,  but  a  calm  orderly  procedure. 

Who  shall  say  what  the  result  would  have  been  had 
he  made  his  confession  as  Jesus  prescribed  it?  "Go, 
show  thyself  to  the  priest  and  offer  the  gift  that  Moses 
commanded  for  a  testimony  unto  them."  See  him  in 
the  presence  of  the  great  congregation,  standing  at 
the  altar,  with  the  sacrifice  blazing  beside  him.  So 
should  he  have  published  his  gratitude  far  and  wide. 


"ROOM    FOR   THE    LEPER!"         177 

This  would  have  been  a  suitable  confession  of  Christ: 
As  when  a  Christian  calmly  and  deliberately  stands 
forth,  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation,  to  take  the 
vows  of  the  covenant  upon  him. 

It  would  have  served  as  a  "  testimony  unto  them  " ; 
that  is  against  the  rabbis  who  had  cast  Jesus  out  of  the 
temple  and  driven  him  from  the  Holy  City.  It  would 
have  shown  them  that  there  was  one  who  could  ac- 
complish what  they  could  not.  They  might  pro- 
nounce the  leper  cleansed,  but  Jesus  alone  could 
cleanse  him. 

And  what  a  witness  this  would  have  been  to  the 
claims  of  Jesus  as  the  very  Son  of  God!  What  a 
protest  against  his  rejection.  To  the  Sadducees,  who 
denied  the  supernatural,  it  would  certify  that  the  Su- 
pernatural was  among  them.  To  the  Pharisees,  who 
affirmed  the  sole  efficacy  of  ceremonial  observance,  it 
would  certify  that  there  was  One  outside  the  temple 
who  could  do  wondrous  things.  Let  them  hide  their 
faces !  "  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own  re- 
ceived him  not." 

The  obvious  lessons  of  this  Miracle  are  three: 

First;  there  is  no  salvation  without  a  previous  con- 
viction of  sin. 

The  living  type  of  sin  is  leprosy,  insidious,  con- 
tagious, malignant,  uneradicable.  Oh,  that  the  sinner 
might  see  his  sin  with  God's  eyes!  Then  would  he 
indeed  abhor  himself,  and,  like  this  leper,  break 
through  all  barriers  to  reach  Him  who  alone  has  power 
to  heal  it. 

The  second  lesson  is  the  sole  Saviourship  of  Christ. 

There  is  no  deliverance  save  by  coming  into  vital 
touch  with  him.    The  sinner  must  put  away  all  othef 


178  CHRIST    AND   MEN 

hopes,  all  confidence  in  other  philosophies  of  salva- 
tion, all  trust  in  self-righteousness.  If  the  scale  of 
leprosy  be  in  the  hand,  will  it  help  it  to  cut  that  off? 
If  it  be  eating  out  the  eyesight,  will  it  heal  the  malady 
to  pluck  out  the  eyes?  Nay;  this  leprosy  is  in  the 
blood !  Sin  is  through  and  through  the  nerve,  sinew, 
fibre,  heart,  conscience  and  soul  of  man ;  and  in  all  the 
world  there  is  no  cleansing  save  at  the  "  fountain  filled 
with  blood,  drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins."  "  Come 
now,  saith  the  Lord,  let  us  reason  together;  though 
your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  white  as  snow; 
though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as 
wool." 

The  last  lesson  is  Exact  Obedience. 

When  a  man  has  accepted  Christ,  all  the  rest  is  do- 
ing what  the  Master  bids  him  do.  In  a  word,  the 
Christian  life  is  Obedience.  To  obey  is  better  than 
sacrifice.  It  is  not  for  us  to  ask  our  Lord's  reasons, 
but  to  trust  him.  "  His  commands,"  says  Watson, 
"  ever  carry  meat  in  the  mouth  of  them."  Let  us  live, 
therefore,  according  to  his  holy  will;  running  in  the 
way  of  his  commandments.  "  Whatsoever  he  saith 
unto  you,  do  it !  " 


XVII 
OUR   FRIENDS    IN    HEAVEN 

In  which  he  converses  with  two  glorified  saints  who  manifest 
a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  men. 

And  it  came  to  pass  about  eight  days  after  these  say- 
ings, that  he  took  with  him  Peter  and  John  and  James, 
and  went  up  into  the  mountain  to  pray.  And  as  he  was 
praying,  the  fashion  of  his  countenance  was  altered,  and 
his  raiment  became  white  and  dazzling.  And  behold, 
there  talked  with  him  two  men,  who  were  Moses  and 
Elijah;  who  appeared  in  glory,  and  spake  of  his  decease 
which  he  was  about  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem. — Luke 
ix,  28-31. 

A  bereaved  wife  recently  said  to  me,  "  I  cannot  help 
feeling  that  my  dear  husband  knows  all  about  my  cir- 
cumstances and  is  near  me.  We  lived  together  forty 
years  and  our  happiness  was  ideal.  Do  you  suppose 
that  he  can  be  alive  anywhere  in  the  universe  and  not 
want  to  come  to  me?  Tell  me,  is  it  right  to  believe 
that  way?"  There  are  multitudes  of  people  who  ask 
the  same  question ;  if  an  affirmative  answer  could  be 
given,  what  consolation  it  would  afford  those  who 
are  passing  through  the  Valley  of  Tears. 

We  hear,  at  the  outset,  the  Testimony  of  the  Heart. 

The  Heart  cries  aloud  and  will  not  be  silent,  "Come 
back,  O  loved  and  lost,  come  back  and  comfort  me !  " 
But  this  is  not  proof.  We  want  something  more 
positive  than  the  lonely  cry  and  the  outstretching  of 

179 


180  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

empty  arms.     One  of  our  poets  has  expressed  it  on 
this  wise : 

Beside  the  dead  I  knelt  for  prayer, 

And  felt  a  presence  as  I  prayed, 
Lo,  it  was  Jesus  standing  there. 

He  smiled :     "  Be  not  afraid :  " 

"  Lord,  Thou  hast  conquered  death,  we  know : 

Restore  again  to  life,"  I  said, 
"  This  one  who  died  an  hour  ago." 

He  smiled :     "  She  is  not  dead." 

"Asleep  then,  as  thyself  didst  say; 

Yet  thou  canst  lift  the  lids  that  keep 
Her  prisoned  eyes  from  ours  away." 

He  smiled :     "  She  doth  not  sleep." 

"  Nay  then,  tho'  haply  she  do  wake, 

And  look  upon  some  fairer  dawn, 
Restore  her  to  our  hearts  that  ache ; " 

He  smiled :     "  She  is  not  gone." 

"  Alas :  too  well  we  know  our  loss, 

Nor  hope  again  our  joy  to  touch 
Until  the  stream  of  death  we  cross." 

He  smiled :     "  There  is  no  such." 

"Yet  our  beloved  seem  so  far, 
The  while  we  yearn  to  feel  them  near, 

Albeit  with  Thee  we  trust  they  are." 
He  smiled :     "  And  I  am  here." 

"Dear  Lord:  how  shall  we  know  that  they 

Still  walk  unseen  with  us  and  Thee, 
Nor  sleep,  nor  wander  far  away  ?  " 

He  smiled:     "Abide  in  me." 

We  turn  from  the  Testimony  of  the  Heart  to  that  of 


OUR    FRIENDS    IN    HEAVEN         181 

Reason.  And  here  we  are  on  dangerous  ground; 
since  Reason,  of  itself  alone,  is  ever  an  untrustworthy 
guide  in  spiritual  things.  So  long  as  it  pursues  a 
straightforward  argument  from  data  furnished  by  the 
five  physical  senses  it  can  be  trusted;  but  when  it 
crosses  the  borders  into  the  province  of  Faith  it  be- 
comes a  blind  leader  of  the  blind.  This  will  account 
for  the  many  lamentable  and  often  grotesque  errors 
of  irreligious  men  in  dealing  with  the  question  be- 
fore us. 

There  is  the  error  of  the  Sadducees,  those  rationalists 
of  the  olden  time,  who,  recognizing  no  authority  be- 
yond that  of  Reason,  argued  themselves  into  a  practi- 
cal rejection  of  the  supernatural.  They  held  that  life 
beyond  the  grave  is  an  empty  dream.  "  Death  ends 
all." 

And  there  is  the  error  of  the  Pagan  Mythologists, 
who  peopled  the  earth  with  supernatural  beings. 
Nymphs,  Naiads,  Oreads  and  Oceanides,  Dryads  and 
Hamadryads,  they  swarmed  through  the  fields  and 
forests,  flitted  along  the  shores  of  every  stream,  rode 
in  chariots  of  clouds  and  whispered  in  the  winds.  This 
is  the  reductio  ad  absurdum  of  a  sublime  and  helpful 
truth. 

The  Romanists,  also,  by  exceeding  the  bounds  of 
Scripture  and  following  their  own  imagination,  have 
fallen  into  the  lamentable  error  of  paying  divine 
honors  to  Angels  and  "  spirits  of  just  men  made  per- 
fect." This  would  never  have  happened  had  they 
harkened  to  the  voice  of  the  Angel  of  the  Apocalypse, 
who,  when  John  fell  down  to  worship  before  his  feet, 
recoiled  in  horror,  saying,  "  See  thou  do  it  not :  for  I 
am  thy  fellow  servant,  and  of  thy  brethren  the  proph- 


182  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

ets,  and  of  them  which  keep  the  sayings  of  this  book: 
worship  God"  (Rev.  xxii,  9). 

And  scarcely  less  deplorable  is  the  error  into  which 
the  Puritans  fell,  when  in  their  repugnance  to  Mari- 
olatry  and  saint-worship  they  swung  to  the  other  ex- 
treme and  wholly  ignored,  if  not  denied,  the  ministry 
of  saints  and  Angels.  They  put  the  spiritual  world 
afar  off,  making  it  a  cold  and  dreary  place.  Here  is 
a  sketch  of  it : 

"  Somewhere  in  desolate,  wind-swept  space 
In  Twilight  Land,  in  No-man's  Land, 
Two  hurrying  shapes  met  face  to  face 
And   bade   each   other   '  Stand ! ' 

*And  who  are  you  ? '  cried  one,  agape, 

Shuddering  in  the  gloaming  light; 
*I  do  not  know,'  cried  the  other  shape; 

'  I  only  died  last  night ! '  " 

But  the  worst  error  of  all  is  that  of  the  so-called 
Spiritualists,  who  profess  to  call  back  the  departed 
and  converse  with  them  at  will ;  engaging  them  in 
foolish  and  frivolous  tricks,  with  the  lights  turned 
down,  such  as  ringing  bells  in  closed  cabinets  and  tip- 
ping tables  and  knocking  on  hollow  walls;  inducing 
them  to  peep  and  mutter  nonsense  beneath  the  level  of 
dull  scholars  in  our  grammar  schools.  This  is  not 
only  grotesque ;  it  is  hideous  and  abhorrent  to  common 
sense ;  since,  whatever  change  may  have  been  wrought 
in  our  beloved  by  their  transition  to  the  spiritual 
world,  they  are  certainly  not  greater  fools  than  they 
were  when  they  dwelt  among  us.  And  whatever  may 
be  the  ministries  on  earth,  we  have  no  reason  to  believe 
that  they  can  be  summoned  at  pleasure  or  conversed 


OUR    FRIENDS    IN    HEAVEN         183 

with  at  will.  The  purpose  of  their  earthly  visitation 
is  not  to  gratify  curiosity  or  contribute  to  our  enter- 
tainment, but  to  serve  our  best  interests  with  refer- 
ence to  the  present  and  future  life. 

We  shall  avoid  all  such  errors  by  keeping1  close  to 
Scripture.  To  the  Law  and  the  Testimony,  there- 
fore; what  saith  the  Lord? 

At  the  outset  attention  is  called  to  the  frequent 
reference  made  in  the  Scriptures  to  Angels. 

Who  are  these  Angels?  It  is  often  taught  and 
generally  supposed  that  they  are  a  distinct  order  of 
beings,  wholly  apart  from  the  human  race.  I  do  not 
believe  that;  nor  do  I  believe  there  is  any  Scriptural 
ground  for  it.  Objection  has  been  made  to  the  Sun- 
day school  hymn  "  I  want  to  be  an  Angel  "  as  ex- 
pressing a  desire  after  the  unattainable :  which  would 
be  a  valid  criticism  if  Angels  and  saints  triumphant 
were  different  genera.  In  fact,  however,  the  term 
"  Angels  "  is  used  to  characterize  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  spiritual  world.  So  far  as  we  are  informed 
there  is  only  one  race  of  spiritual  beings  in  the  uni- 
verse, and  it  embraces  all  who  have  ever  been  created 
in  the  likeness  of  God. 

True,  it  is  written  of  man  "  Thou  hast  made  him 
a  little  lower  than  the  Angels  "  (Ps.  8,  5)  ;  but  in  this 
instance  the  word  is  Elohim,  and  the  passage  is  ren- 
dered in  the  Revised  Version,  "  Thou  hast  made  him 
a  little  lower  than  God/'  the  reference  being  to  his 
participation  in  the  divine  characteristics.  It  is  true, 
also,  that  man  in  his  earthly  life  is  lower  than  the  in- 
habitants of  the  celestial  world;  but  Christ  himself 
affirms  that  this  inferiority  is  removed  by  death  where 
he  says,  "  They  are  equal  unto  the  Angels  and  are  the 


184.  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

children  of  God,  being  the  children  of  the  resurrec- 
tion "  (Luke  xx,  36). 

The  host  of  heaven  may  consist,  for  aught  we 
know,  of  multitudes  from  other  worlds  as  well  as 
from  our  own.  Among  them  there  are  different 
orders,  indicated  by  such  titles  as  angels  and  arch- 
angels, cherubim  and  seraphim,  authorities,  thrones, 
dominions,  principalities,  powers  and  saints  trium- 
phant ;  but  this  fact  does  not  prove  any  racial  distinc- 
tion any  more  than  the  existence  of  ranks  and  titled 
orders  among  men.  All  are  alike  in  having  been 
created  as  rational  beings  after  the  divine  image. 
Some  have  never  been  defiled  with  sin,  having  "  kept 
their  first  estate  " ;  others  are  sinners  saved  by  grace. 
"  One  family  they  dwell  in  him." 

We  turn  now  to  a  consideration  of  the  Employment 
of  these  heavenly  beings.  This  is  twofold.  They  are 
represented  as  "  before  the  throne  of  God,  praising 
him  in  his  temple."  This  is  their  leitourgia,  or  devo- 
tional service;  and  the  Scriptures  abound  with  refer- 
ences to  it.  But  their  other  form  of  employment  is 
the  diakonia,  or  ministry.  This  brings  us  immediately 
to  the  matter  in  hand. 

The  very  name  "  Angel  "  is  significant  of  ministry. 
It  means  literally  a  messenger  or  one  sent  forth.  It 
was  the  belief  of  Cardinal  Newman  that  our  world  is 
everywhere  pervaded  by  spirits,  who  are  sent  hither 
as  divine  agents,  not  only  in  spiritual  matters;  not 
only  in  the  directing  of  social  and  political  affairs, 
but  even  in  the  control  of  the  elements :  as  it  is  writ- 
ten, "  He  maketh  his  angels  winds,  his  ministers  a 
flaming  fire."  Without  going  so  far,  we  are  bound  to 
affirm,  as  the  consistent  teaching  of  Scripture,  that 


OUR    FRIENDS    IN    HEAVEN  185 

they  are  sent  out  everywhere  as  willing  servants  to  do 
the  divine  will  (Acts  v,  19;  xii,  27;  etc.). 

One  of  their  special  functions  is  to  exercise  a  per- 
sonal care  for  those  who  are  living  on  earth. 

This  is  the  doctrine  of  "  Guardian  Angels."  The 
fact  that  it  is  so  frequently  carried  to  a  grotesque 
extreme  must  not  frighten  us  away  from  the  wonder- 
ful and  blessed  truth.  Jesus,  holding  a  child  upon 
his  knee,  said  "  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of 
these  little  ones ;  for  I  say  unto  you  that  in  heaven 
their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father :  " 
on  which  Doctor  Schaff,  agreeing  with  most  com- 
mentators, remarks,  "  It  would  seem  the  proper  in- 
ference that  every  believer  has  his  Guardian  Angel." 
But  even  this  interpretation  is  too  narrow :  Why  con- 
fine it  to  "  every  believer  "?  If  it  suggests  the  doctrine 
of  Guardian  Angels  at  all,  it  teaches  that  they  watch 
over  the  interests  of  all  the  "  little  ones  "  (see  also 
Psalm  xci,  11,  12;  Luke  xv,  10). 

But  a  still  more  particular  care  is  exercised  by 
these  Angelic  ministrants  over  those  who  have  allied 
themselves  with  the  service  of  Christ.  The  writer  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says  they  are  "  sent  forth 
to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation." 
And  David  says  more  specifically,  "  He  shall  give  his 
Angels  charge  over  thee  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways; 
they  shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands  lest  thou  dash 
thy  foot  against  a  stone." 

It  is  our  purpose  to  avoid  all  speculation  at  this 
point  and  to  confine  ourselves  absolutely  to  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Scriptures.  The  Old  Testament  abounds 
in  reference  to  the  ministry  of  Angels.  They  ap- 
peared to  Abraham  (Genesis  xxii,  11,  etc.) ;  to  Jacob 


186  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

(Genesis  xxviii,  12)  ;  to  Hagar  (Genesis  xvi,  7,  etc.)  ; 
to  Balaam  (Num.  xxii,  23-35)  I  to  Gideon  (Judges 
vi,  11);  to  Manoah's  wife  (Judges  xiii,  3-20);  to 
Elijah  (1  Kings  xix,  5,  etc.)  ;  to  Zechariah  (Zech.  i, 
4,  etc)  ;  and  to  many  more.  An  angel  led  the  Children 
of  Israel  out  of  Egypt  "  by  the  right  way."  An  Angel 
"  shut  up  the  mouths  of  the  lions "  and  delivered 
Daniel  from  his  trouble.  Once  and  again  Angels 
interposed  to  save  Israel  in  battle  against  overwhelm- 
ing odds. 

The  New  Testament  is  no  less  explicit.  Angels 
foretold  the  Incarnation,  heralded  the  wonderful  event, 
attended  on  the  ministry  of  Jesus,  succored  him  after 
his  temptation  and  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane, 
hovered  over  his  cross  in  legions,  rolled  away  the 
stone  from  his  sepulchre  and  announced  his  resurrec- 
tion. Angels  appeared  to  Peter  (Acts  xii,  8)  ;  to 
Paul  (Acts  xxvii,  23)  ;  to  Philip  (Acts  i,  26) ;  to  Cor- 
nelius (Acts  x,  7)  ;  to  John  (Rev.  i). 

And  the  direct  teaching  of  Jesus  in  this  matter  is 
conclusive.  He  not  only  affirmed  the  guardianship 
of  Angels  in  the  passage  already  referred  to  (Matt, 
viii,  10),  but  repeatedly  made  mention  of  their  min- 
istry among  men. 

In  the  Parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  he  expressly 
says  that  the  soul  of  the  devout  beggar  was  carried 
by  Angels  to  the  blessed  land  (Luke  xvi,  22). 

In  his  thrilling  portrayal  of  the  Judgment  he  says, 
"  The  harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world  and  the  reapers 
are  the  Angels"  (Matt,  xiii,  39),  and,  still  more  ex- 
plicitly, "  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the  world ;  the 
Angels  shall  come  forth  and  sever  the  wicked  from 
among  the  just"  (Matt,  xiii,  49). 


OUR    FRIENDS    IN    HEAVEN         187 

He  assigns  to  these  spiritual  beings  a  special  place 
in  his  ultimate  triumph  and  universal  reign  on  earth, 
announcing  that  when  he  comes  it  will  be  "  in  the 
glory  of  the  Father  with  the  holy  Angels  "  (Mark 
viii,  38). 

In  his  conversation  with  Moses  and  Elijah  on  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration  he  gives  us  to  understand 
that  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  bear  a  closer 
relation  to  mundane  affairs  than  is  generally  sup- 
posed. Here  were  two  men  who  had  lived  five  hun- 
dred years  apart  and  had  been  dead  more  than  a 
thousand  years ;  yet  they  knew  each  other  and  felt  a 
mutual  interest  in  the  earthly  work  of  Jesus.  They 
came  from  heaven  to  minister  to  him  when  the 
shadow  of  the  cross  fell  over  him  as  dark  and  cold  as 
a  winter's  night ;  and  "  they  spake  with  him  concern- 
ing the  decease  which  he  should  accomplish  at  Jeru- 
salem "  (Luke  ix,  31).  The  inference  is  inevitable 
that  they,  while  in  heaven,  knew  what  was  occurring 
and  about  to  occur  on  earth,  and,  more,  that  they  were 
under  commission  to  assist  in  some  of  its  important 
events. 

One  such  visit  is  enough  to  demonstrate  the  fact 
that  the  saints  triumphant  share  in  the  blessed  min- 
istry. Our  own  loved  ones  in  heaven  are  among 
those  who  are  "  sent  forth  to  minister  for  such  as 
shall  be  heirs  of  salvation."  They  are  "  sent " ;  and, 
unlike  Christians  on  earth,  when  they  are  sent  they 
always  go.  And  what  could  be  more  natural  than 
that  they  should  be  sent  to  those  whom  they  know 
and  love  and  for  whose  welfare  they  are  most  pro- 
foundly concerned  ?  "  Wherefore  comfort  one  an- 
other with  these  words." 


188  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

"Which  of  the  petty  kings  of  earth 

Can  boast  a  guard  like  ours 
Encircled  from  our  second  birth 

By  all  the  heavenly  powers? 
With  them  we  march  securely  on, 

Throughout   Immanuel's  ground; 
And  not  an  uncommissioned  stone 

Our  sacred  feet  shall  wound. 
Ten  thousand  offices  unseen 

For  us   they  gladly  do, 
Deliver  in  the  lion's  den 

And  safe  escort  us  through. 
And  when  our  spirits  we  resign, 

On  outstretched  wings  they  bear, 
And  lodge  us   in  the  arms  divine 

And  leave  us  ever  there." 

To  the  testimony  of  Jesus  might  be  added  that  of 
his  Apostles,  who  in  all  their  writings  recognize  the 
ministry  of  Angels. 

The  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  quite 
clear :  "  Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent 
forth  to  minister  for  them  which  shall  be  heirs  of  sal- 
vation ?  "  And,  later  on — after  an  illustrious  roll-call 
of  heroes,  who  through  faith  subdued  kingdoms, 
wrought  righteousness,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions, 
quenched  the  violence  of  fire,  waxed  valiant  in  fight 
and  turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens — he 
utters  this  exhortation,  "  Wherefore,  seeing  we  also 
are  compassed  about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses, let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin 
which  doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us  run  with 
patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us,  looking  unto 
Jesus  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith ;  who,  for 
the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross, 
despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand 


OUR    FRIENDS    IN    HEAVEN         189 

of  the  throne  of  God"  (Heb.  xii,  1-2).  The  Chris- 
tian is  standing  as  an  athlete  in  the  lists,  waiting  for 
the  signal  to  speed  toward  the  golden  milestone  for 
the  Olympian  wreath ;  and  the  galleries  are  filled  with 
spectators — angels,  saints  triumphant,  martyrs  gone 
to  glory — cheering  him  on.  Oh,  we  are  living  in  a 
larger  world  than  we  think!  We  are  an  object  of 
heavenly  solicitude  in  all  our  earnest  efforts  to  quit 
ourselves  as  the  children  of  God. 

If  these  things  are  so,  it  follows  that  heaven  is 
not  "  far,  far  away."  It  is  nearer  than  we  think.  A 
veil  of  gossamer  is  all  that  separates  us  from  the  in- 
visible. Death  is  but  "  a  covered  bridge,  leading  from 
light  to  light  through  a  brief  darkness."  There  is  no 
interruption  of  the  continuity  of  life.  A  line  of 
shadow  falls  across  our  path;  we  step  across  and  go 
living  right  on.  The  life  beyond  is  merely  the  sequel 
of  the  life  we  are  living  now. 

It  follows  also  that  everything  depends  on  the 
way  we  spend  these  probationary  years.  This  is 
merely  an  apprenticeship  for  eternal  service.  Whoever 
honors  his  commission,  discharging  every  duty  as  it 
comes  and  rejoicing  to  minister  to  others,  will  receive 
the  service-chevron.  "  He  that  is  faithful  in  a  few 
things  shall  be  made  ruler  over  ten  cities."  If  we 
would  find  a  congenial  place  in  that  world  of  which 
it  is  written,  "  There  his  servants  do  serve  him,"  we 
must  be  faithful  in  this  world.  Ministry  is  our  busi- 
ness, as  followers  of  Christ ;  to  "  do  good  as  we  have 
opportunity  unto  all  men."  Our  promotion  to  the 
ministry  of  Angels  depends  on  our  fidelity  here  and 
now. 

And  it  follows,  finally,    that    if    our    friends    in 


190  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

heaven  are  so  deeply  concerned  in  our  spiritual  wel- 
fare, we  ourselves  should  be  no  less  concerned.  One 
passage,  and  perhaps  the  most  important,  in  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  touching  the  matter  in  hand,  has 
been  purposely  deferred  until  this  point:  it  is  his 
reference  to  the  concern  felt  by  the  inhabitants  of 
heaven  for  the  conversion  of  their  friends  on  earth. 
"  There  is  joy,"  he  said,  "  in  the  presence  of  the 
Angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth " 
(Luke  xv,  10).  Are  there  mothers  there,  watching 
and  waiting,  like  Monica  on  the  shores  of  Africa,  to 
hail  the  home-coming  of  their  wayward  sons?  Do 
ministering  spirits  come  to  guide  the  feet  of  the 
prodigal  out  of  dangerous  paths?  Is  there  a  multi- 
tude of  expectant  ones  in  glory,  eager  to  raise  the 
song  of  thanksgiving  when  a  sinner  returns  from  the 
error  of  his  ways?  Then  surely  it  behooves  the  re- 
cipients of  all  this  care  to  shake  off  indifference  and 
turn  to  Christ. 

But  the  matter  of  supreme  moment,  after  all,  is 
not  the  interest  felt  by  the  Angels  in  our  behalf,  but 
that  of  God  himself,  by  whom  they  are  sent  to  minis- 
ter to  us.  This  was  the  thought  which  most  deeply 
impressed  Jacob  after  his  vision  of  Angels  at  Bethel : 
"  Verily,  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not !  " 
He  was  a  lone  wanderer,  a  fugitive  from  justice,  a 
sinner  oppressed  with  a  sense  of  retribution ;  and,  lo ! 
God  loved  him,  nevertheless,  and  sent  his  Angels  to 
comfort  and  encourage  him.  O  gracious  God,  we 
wander  not  beyond  the  tether  of  thy  love !  Awake 
us  from  indifference,  break  our  stubborn  hearts  with 
the  conviction  of  thy  loving  care.  O  blessed  Son  of 
God,  who  not  only  sendest  thine  angels  to  allure  us 


OUR    FRIENDS    IN    HEAVEN  191 

from  sin  to  salvation,  but  thyself  standest  at  the 
closed  door  of  our  hearts,  knocking  and  waiting  until 
thy  locks  are  wet  with  the  drops  of  night,  we  sur- 
render to  thy  love!  We  unbolt  the  door!  Come  in 
and  sup  with  us! 


XVIII 

FAULT-FINDING 

In  which  reference  is  made  to  one  of  the  most  delicate  and 
difficult  of  duties. 

Jesus  to  his  disciples:  "If  thy  brother  sin  against  thee, 
go,  show  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  him  alone;  if 
he  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy  brother." — Matt. 
xviii,  15. 

Also,  "If  thy  brother  sin,  rebuke  him." — Luke  xvii,  3. 

The  most  difficult  and  delicate,  the  most  neglected 
and  overdone,  the  most  disagreeable  and  magnani- 
mous of  duties  is  fault-finding. 

Jesus  was  the  friendliest  man  that  ever  lived.  He 
came  from  heaven  to  do  two  things:  first,  to  make 
atonement  for  sin;  so  that  all  who  are  willing  to  re- 
ceive him  by  faith  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal 
life.  And  second,  to  set  an  example  of  right-living, 
so  that  all  who  are  willing  to  follow  in  his  steps  may 
attain  to  character  in  the  full  stature  of  a  man. 

We,  then,  who  profess  to  believe  in  Christ  as  our 
Saviour  are  to  receive  him  as  our  Examplar  in  the 
right  discharge  of  the  duties  of  life. 

Jesus  was  a  fault-finder,  distinctly  so.  He  spared 
neither  his  foes  nor  his  friends,  on  occasion.  In  the 
interest  of  truth  and  righteousness  he  laid  bare  the 
utter  meanness  and  insincerity  of  the  religious  leaders 
of  his  time,  saying,  "  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  hypocrites,  generation  of  vipers;  how  shall 

192 


FAULT-FINDING  193 

ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ?  "  Nor  did  he  spare 
his  disciples  when  reproof  was  in  order;  as  when  he 
said  to  angry  John  and  James,  "  Ye  know  not  what 
spirit  ye  are  of  " ;  and  to  tempting  Peter,  "  Get  thee 
behind  me,  Satan;  thou  savorest  not  the  things  that 
be  of  God  but  those  that  be  of  men."  We  must  be 
fault-finders,  therefore,  if  we  propose  to  follow  in  his 
steps. 

The  censorious  man  is  ubiquitous:  like  the  poor,  ye 
have  him  always  with  you.  All  sorts  of  colloquial 
titles  are  applied  to  him ;  but,  call  him  what  you 
please,  he  is  never  agreeable.  A  scold  at  home,  a 
pessimist  in  society,  a  mugwump  in  politics,  a  mar- 
tinet in  the  church ;  he  is  everywhere  a  cumberer  of 
the  ground.  Nothing  suits  him ;  nobody  pleases  him. 
He  is  like  Momus  among  the  ancient  Gods;  who 
ended  his  lifelong  career  of  criticism  by  finding  fault 
with  Vulcan's  man  because  he  had  no  windows  in 
his  breast  so  that  people  might  see  what  was  going 
on  within ;  with  Neptune's  bull,  because  his  horns 
were  not  beneath  his  eyes  so  that  he  might  direct  his 
attack;  and  with  Minerva's  house,  because  it  had  no 
wheels  to  enable  her  to  move  away  from  troublesome 
neighbors.  For  this,  Momus  was  cast  out  of  Olym- 
pus ;  unfortunately  we  cannot  get  rid  of  the  censo- 
rious fault-finder  in  that  way. 

The  man  at  the  other  extreme,  however,  is  no  less 
insufferable.  He  sees  the  strong  pursuing  the  weak 
and  has  nothing  to  say.  He  hears  the  truth  denied 
and  keeps  silence.  The  times  are  out  of  joint;  but 
why  should  he  trouble  himself  to  correct  them?  Evil- 
doers are  abroad ;  but  who  set  him  as  watchman  upon 
the  heights  ?    If  he  be  a  preacher,  he  preaches  smooth 


194  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

things,  flattering  the  infirmities  of  those  who  have 
itching  ears.  His  philosophy  is  briefly  contained  in 
the  proverb,  "  The  crooked  cannot  be  made  straight." 
He  sees  the  wounded  man  on  the  Bloody  Way  and 
placidly  leaves  him  to  the  good  Samaritan.  He  is  a 
cynic,  serene  as  Diogenes,  who  asked  nothing  of  the 
passer-by  but  that  he  would  stand  out  of  his  sunlight. 
He  has  never  heard  the  injunction,  "  Cry  aloud  and 
spare  not  and  show  the  people  their  sins ! " 

Let  it  be  understood  that  fault-finding  is  a  duty. 
True  friendship  dares  to  wound.  As  Seneca  said,  "  I 
love  not  my  friend  if  I  offend  him  not."  Or  as  Moses 
said,  "  Thou  shalt  in  any  wise  rebuke  thy  neighbor, 
and  not  suffer  sin  upon  him."  Or  as  Jesus  said,  "  If 
thy  brother  trespass  against  thee,  rebuke  him." 

But  fault-finding  is  more  than  a  duty;  it  is  an  art. 
The  thing  must  be  done ;  but  the  question  is,  How 
to  do  it?  And  here  is  where  the  example  of  Jesus 
helps  us.  This  duty,  like  all  others,  must  be  inter- 
preted in  the  light  of  his  teaching  and  example.  Our 
present  purpose  is  to  discover  how  Jesus  did  it. 

At  the  outset  the  motive  must  be  looked  at. 

Jesus  said  he  came  into  the  world  to  seek  and  to 
save.  And  whatsoever  he  did  was  in  line  with  that 
purpose.  Our  life  as  his  followers  must  be  formu- 
lated along  the  same  benevolent  lines.  In  all  our 
criticism  of  friends  and  foes  alike,  we  must  be  actu- 
ated by  a  supreme  desire  to  bring  them  back  to  truth 
and  righteousness.  There  is  no  room  here  for  envy 
or  malice.  The  philosophy  of  the  world  is  briefly 
comprehended  in  the  words  of  Cain,  "  Am  I  my 
brother's  keeper  ?"  with  which  the  philosophy  of 
Christ  is  distinctly  at  odds.     A  man  is  discovered  in 


FAULT-FINDING  195 

the  act  of  committing  suicide.  Christ  says,  "  We 
must  save  this  man."  Cain  says,  "  It  is  his  own  affair ; 
let  him  hang."  Christ  says,  "  No ;  he  is  my  brother 
and  I  am  his  keeper;  I  cannot  let  him  hang."  Cain 
says,  "  Is  not  his  life  his  own  ?  Is  not  the  rope  his 
own  ?  May  he  not  do  what  he  will  with  both  ? " 
Christ  says,  "  No,  it  devolves  upon  us  to  see  that  he 
does  no  harm  to  himself."  Cain  says,  "  He  is  a 
cumberer  of  the  ground  and  the  world  would  be  well 
rid  of  him."  Christ  says,  "  No ;  there  are  divine  pos- 
sibilities in  him ;  let  us  put  him  on  his  feet  again." 
And  to  all  his  people  he  cries,  "  Come,  let  us  cut  this 
man  down  and  make  a  better  man  of  him ! " 

We  observe,  further,  that  Jesus  was  always  just  in 
his  fault-finding,  and  in  this  we  must  be  like  him. 

But  there  is  the  difficulty.  We  know  little  about 
justice.  We  are  so  ignorant  of  the  motives  and  the 
singular  trials  and  temptations  of  men. 

"Who  made  the  heart,  'tis  he  alone 
Decidedly  can  try  us; 
He  knows  each  string,  its  various  tone, 
Each  chord,  its  various  bias." 

It  was  an  easy  matter  for  Jesus  to  be  just,  because 
he  knew  what  was  in  man.  We  are  to  exercise  justice 
only  in  cases  where  the  moral  quality  of  the  act  is 
perfectly  clear;  in  other  cases  we  must  needs  condemn 
the  sin,  but  leave  the  sinner  with  God.  And  in  no 
case  are  we  at  liberty  to  pass  hasty  or  ill-considered 
judgment  on  any  of  our  fellow-men. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  Roman  magistrates  sen- 
tenced a  prisoner,  they  had  a  bundle  of  rods  near  by 
tied  with  many  knots,  to  the  intent  that,  while  the 


196  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

beadle  was  employed  in  untying  them,  the  court  might 
have  time  for  a  sober  second  thought.  Alas,  we  often- 
times lay  on  the  rod  and  do  our  thinking  afterward! 
The  Scriptural  rule  is,  "  Be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to 
speak,  slow  to  wrath." 

And  again,  if  we  are  to  be  like  Jesus  in  the  dis- 
charge of  this  duty,  we  must  be  clothed  with  charity. 

This  does  not  mean  that  we  are  to  be  oblivious  of 
wrong  or  injustice.  They  say  that  love  is  blind.  But 
"  Charity  thinketh  no  evil  " ;  that  is,  it  puts  the  best 
construction  upon  the  conduct  of  a  man.  It  prefers 
to  see  the  good  rather  than  the  bad.  It  recognizes 
the  fact  that  there  is  a  bright  side  to  the  character  of 
every  one.  There  is  a  Russian  fable  which  says  that 
the  swine  Kavron  made  its  way  through  the  gardens 
of  a  lordly  mansion  into  the  barnyard,  where  it  reveled 
in  filth.  On  its  return  the  neighbors  cried,  "  What 
found  you,  Kavron?  They  do  say  that  the  garden  is 
full  of  flowers  and  the  house  of  pearls  and  diamonds !  " 
And  Kavron  answered,  "  I  found  naught  but  heaps  of 
offal."  Thus  the  critic  finds  what  he  is  looking  for; 
and  our  perverted  nature  not  infrequently  prefers  to 
find  the  evil  rather  than  the  good.  The  part  of 
charity  is  never  to  expose  the  evil  for  the  sake  of  com- 
ment or  exposure,  but  always  with  the  intent  of  cor- 
recting it. 

We  have  further  light  on  the  proper  discharge  of 
this  duty  in  the  words  of  Jesus,  "  Why  beholdest  the 
mote  in  thy  brother's  eye  but  considerest  not  the  beam 
that  is  in  thine  own  eye?" 

This  is  but  another  way  of  saying,  "  Those  who  live 
in  glass  houses  should  not  throw  stones."  The  fact  is 
we  are  prone  to  criticise  in  others  the  faults  to  which 


FAULT-FINDING  197 

we  ourselves  are  most  liable.  "  It  takes  a  rogue  to 
catch  a  rogue."  Spurgeon  tells  of  a  well-known  luna- 
tic who  used  to  go  up  and  down,  muttering,  "  God 
save  the  fool ! "     So  Shakespeare  says, 

"The  jury,  passing  on  the  prisoner's  life, 
May  in  the  sworn  twelve  have  a  thief  or  two, 
Guiltier  than  him  they  try." 

It  does  not  follow,  however,  that  we  are  to  be 
estopped  from  fault-finding  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
we  are  conscious  of  sin.  But  we  are  bound  to  be 
assured  that  we  are  bravely  resisting  in  ourselves  that 
which  we  condemn  in  others.  A  man  with  a  flask  in 
his  pocket  is  a  poor  preacher  of  temperance.  It  would 
lend  weight  to  the  argument  of  the  Army  Officers 
who  are  just  now  pleading  for  a  restoration  of  the 
beer  canteen,  if  the  public  could  be  advised  that  they 
themselves  were  temperate  men.  "  Take  heed  to  thy- 
self; first  cast  out  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye, 
then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote  out 
of  thy  brother's  eye." 

And  it  behooves  us  to  be  open  and  aboveboard  in 
our  criticism  of  others. 

The  rule  of  Jesus  is,  "  If  thou  hast  aught  against 
thy  brother;  go  tell  him  betwixt  thee  and  him  alone." 
No  gossip.  No  backbiting.  Come  out  of  your  covert ! 
Out  into  the  open !  The  meanest  man  in  Scripture  is 
Shimei,  who  threw  mud  and  stones  at  David  from 
behind  a  hedge.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  Paul  that  he 
"  withstood  Peter  to  the  face  " ;  and  history  records 
that  they  were  the  better  friends  for  it.  But  this  is 
not  the  usual  way.  A  tells  B  that  C  is  no  better  than 
he  ought  to  be;  their  wives  discuss  it  over  the  tea 


198  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

cups;  and  all  the  neighbors  are  by  the  ears.  Dean 
Swift  says  they 

"  Convey  a  libel  with  a  frown 
And  wink  a  reputation  down; 
Or,  by  the  tossing  of  a  fan, 
Describe  the  lady  and  the  man!  " 

This  is  the  part  of  cowardice  and  ill-becoming  in 
those  who  profess  to  follow  Christ. 

It  must  be  added  that  fault-finding,  after  Christ's 
method,  requires  the  utmost  tact. 

Take  care!  A  mote  that  has  imbedded  itself  in 
the  tissues  of  the  eye  cannot  be  extracted  with  the 
naked  hand,  much  less  with  red-hot  pincers.  The 
most  insufferable  man  in  the  world  is  the  one  who 
speaks  of  himself  boastfully  as  "  a  blunt  man."  He 
"  calls  a  spade  a  spade,"  and  delights  in  saying  un- 
pleasant things.  His  method  is  the  very  opposite  of 
Christ's.  What  tact  and  gentleness  were  displayed  in 
his  rebuke  of  Peter,  who  had  denied  him  thrice  with 
a  bitter  curse;  he  turned  and  looked  at  him,  and 
Peter  "  went  out  and  wept  bitterly."  That  look  had 
exposed  the  dark  recesses  of  his  soul.  And  what  skill 
was  displayed  in  Christ's  reproof  of  the  woman  at  the 
well.  He  saith  unto  her,  "  Give  me  to  drink."  She 
answered,  "  How  is  it  that  thou  being  a  Jew  askest 
drink  of  me  who  am  a  Samaritan  ?  "  He  saith,  "  If 
thou  knewest  who  it  is  that  saith,  Give  me  to  drink, 
thou  wouldst  have  asked  and  he  would  have  given 
thee  living  water."  She  saith,  "  Sir,  give  me  this 
water,  that  I  thirst  not,  neither  come  hither  to  draw." 
He  answered,  "  Go  call  thy  husband  and  come 
hither !  "     It  was  at  this  point  that  the  iron  entered 


FAULT-FINDING  199 

her  soul;  and  thus  he  drew  the  sinner  to  him.  Or 
where  will  you  find  such  tact  and  tenderness  as  in 
Christ's  treatment  of  the  poor  creature  taken  in 
adultery  and  dragged  before  him  by  the  religious 
leaders  who  clamored  for  the  extreme  penalty  of  the 
law.  He  saw  her  contrition  in  the  hiding  of  her 
crimson  face.  He  stooped  and  wrote  his  judgment  on 
the  pavement :  "  Let  him  that  is  without  sin  cast  the 
first  stone  at  her !  "  He  rose  and,  finding  himself 
alone  with  the  woman,  said,  "  Hath  no  man  con- 
demned thee?  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee;  go  and 
sin  no  more." 

It  remains  to  be  said  that  those  who  would  follow 
Christ  in  the  discharge  of  this  duty  must  have  in 
mind  the  ultimate  law  of  requital ;  as  he  said,  "  Judge 
not  that  ye  be  not  judged;  for  with  what  judgment 
ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged;  and  with  what  measure 
ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again." 

In  other  words,  the  censorious  critic  will  have  to 
change  places  with  his  victim  one  day.  It  is  with  this 
fact  in  mind  that  we  pray,  "  Forgive  us  our  trespasses 
as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us." 


"The  mercy  I  to  others  show, 
That  mercy  show  to  me." 


Here  is  no  reference  to  the  lex  talionis.  God  does  not 
judge  in  the  spirit  of  vengeance;  but,  in  the  necessity 
of  the  case,  whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall  he 
also  reap.  The  Law  of  Requital  works  automati- 
cally. Haman  is  always  hanged  on  his  own  gallows- 
tree.  "  A  man  is  his  own  dungeon  " ;  he  treasures  up 
wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath;  he  determines  for 
himself  what  sentence  the  Law  shall  pass  upon  him. 


200  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

If  we  want  mercy  in  the  Great  Day,  we  must  needs 
grant  mercy  here  and  now. 

Wherefore,  let  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus 
be  also  in  us.  He  spared  neither  friend  nor  foe;  but 
his  wounds  were  always  the  wounds  of  a  friend.  The 
severest  woes  that  ever  fell  from  his  lips  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  kindest  of  invitations :  "  Come  unto 
me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will 
give  you  rest."  The  tenderest  rebuke  that  ever  was 
administered  was  from  the  Cross: 

"  I  saw  One  hanging  on  a  tree, 
In  agony  and  blood, 
Who  fixed  his  languid  eyes  on  me 
As  near  the  cross   I  stood. 

"  Sure,  never  till  my  latest  breath, 
Can  I  forget  that  look; 
It  seemed  to  charge  me  with  his  death, 
Though  not  a  word  he  spoke. 

"Alas!  I  knew  not  what  I  did, 
But  now  my  tears  are  vain ; 
Where  shall  my  trembling  soul  be  hid, 
For  I  the  Lord  have  slain! 

"A  second  look  he  gave,  that  said, 
'I    freely    all    forgive: 
'This  blood  is  for  thy  ransom  paid; 
'  I  die  that  thou  may'st  live.' 

"Thus  while  his  death  my  sin  displays 
In  all  its  blackest  hue, 
Such  is  the  mystery  of  grace, 
It  seals  my  pardon,  too ! " 

He  "  knew  what  was  in  man  "  and  "  covered  "  his 


FAULT-FINDING  201 

faults  by  expiating-  them.  He  was  aware  of  the  im- 
perfections of  those  to  whom  he  had  assumed  the  rela- 
tion of  an  Elder  Brother;  and,  while  he  exposed 
them,  he  bore  them  also  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree. 
He  led  his  friends  through  the  rough  places  of  Via 
Dolorosa,  because  there  was  no  other  way  to  heaven's 
gate.  He  laid  bare,  as  with  a  scalpel,  the  secret  sins 
of  men  that  he  might  heal  them.  It  is  written  of  him 
that  knowing  his  disciples,  their  faults  and  short- 
comings, he  nevertheless  "  loved  them  to  the  end." 
In  this  we  find  the  key-note  of  a  Christian  life :  "  God 
commendeth  his  love  toward  us  in  that  while  we 
were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us." 


XIX 
FORGIVING 

In  which  a   Multiplex   Emphasis   is  placed  on  a  still  more 
difficult  duty. 

Peter:  "Lord,  how  oft  shall  my  brother  sin  against 
me,  and  I  forgive  him?  until  seven  times?" 

Jesus:  "I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until  seven  times;  but, 
Until  seventy  times  seven." — Matt,  xviii,  21-22  (cf. 
23-25). 

All  the  world  loves  Peter;  brave,  impulsive,  head- 
strong, blundering  Peter;  the  apostle  of  the  great 
heart,  open  hand,  hot  temper  and  high  ambition. 
But  there  were  times  when  Peter  showed  himself  in 
most  unlovely  ways.  In  some  respects  he  was  a  very 
little  man. 

It  was  so  here.  He  had  been  greatly  stirred  up 
by  some  things  that  Jesus  had  been  saying  about  the 
proper  way  of  dealing  with  unruly  church  members. 
In  the  Code  of  Discipline,  as  laid  down  by  the  Master, 
there  were  four  steps.  The  first  was.  "  If  thy  brother 
trespass  against  thee,  go  tell  him  his  fault  between 
thee  and  him  alone."  If  that  failed,  then,  "  Take  with 
thee  one  or  two  witnesses  and  seek  to  arbitrate  the 
difficulty."  In  case  the  offender  were  still  ob- 
durate, "  Tell  it  unto  the  church,"  that  he  may  be 
formally  cited  for  trial.  And  should  this  also  prove 
unavailing,  "  Let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man 
and  a  publican  " ;  that  is,  Withdraw  your  fellowship 
from  him. 

202 


FORGIVING  203 

Now,  Peter  had  a  personal  interest  in  this  matter, 
owing  to  certain  grudges  of  his  own.  A  self-willed, 
self-confident,  self-opinionated  man  is  sure  to  provoke 
animosities,  and  equally  sure  to  resent  criticism  as  a 
personal  affront.  It  was,  doubtless,  this  cherished 
sense  of  wrong  which  moved  Peter  to  inquire,  "  Lord, 
how  oft  shall  my  brother  sin  against  me  and  I  forgive 
him  ?  Till  seven  times  ?  "  The  teaching  of  the  Rab- 
binical writings  was,  "  If  thy  brother  offend  once  and 
ask  pardon,  forgive  him ;  if  twice,  forgive  him ;  if 
thrice,  forgive  him;  and  that  ends  it."  We  may 
assume,  therefore,  that  Peter,  in  suggesting  seven 
times,  supposed  himself  to  be  taking  a  most  magnani- 
mous view  of  the  matter.  But  Jesus  said,  "  Not  till 
seven  times,  but  till  seventy  times  seven  " ;  by  which 
he  meant  that  our  spirit  of  forgiveness  must  know 
no  limit  at  all. 

And  this  he  enforced  by  a  parable ;  one  of  his  great 
parables,  involving  a  truth  of  supreme  importance. 
The  scene  is  laid  in  an  Oriental  court.  A  certain  king, 
calling  his  satraps  to  a  reckoning,  finds  that  one  of 
them  is  a  defaulter  in  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  tal- 
ents; that  is,  about  ten  millions  of  our  money.  The 
man  has  no  excuse  to  offer  and  he  has  nothing  where- 
with to  pay.  The  decision  of  the  king  is  that  he  shall 
be  sold,  with  his  wife  and  children,  into  slavery,  a 
procedure  which  was  in  strict  accordance  with  the 
Roman  law.  He  thereupon  fell  down  and  besought 
him,  "  Lord,  have  patience  with  me  and  I  will  pay 
thee  all."  And  his  Lord  did  better  than  he  asked ;  he 
forgave  him  all. 

Then  comes  the  sequel,  on  which  the  emphasis 
rests.    The  same  servant  went  out  and  found  one  of 


204  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

his  fellow-servants  who  owed  him  the  paltry  sum  of 
a  hundred  pence,  equivalent  to  about  seventeen  dol- 
lars in  our  money ;  and  he  took  him  by  the  throat,  say- 
ing-, "  Pay  me  what  thou  owest !  "  His  poor  debtor 
besought  him,  in  the  very  words  which  the  other  had 
previously  used,  "  Have  patience  with  me  and  I  will 
pay  thee  all !  "  And  he  would  not,  but  c-ast  him  into 
prison  until  he  should  pay  the  debt.  Now  when  this 
came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  king  he  was  indignant, 
saying,  "  O  thou  wicked  servant !  I  forgave  thee  all, 
because  thou  desiredst  it ;  shouldst  not  thou  also  have 
had  compassion  on  thy  fellow-servants,  even  as  I  had 
pity  on  thee  ?  " 

And  he  delivered  him  over  to  the  officers  of  the 
law. 

Then  the  lesson:  "So  likewise  sliall  my  heavenly 
Father  do  unto  yon,  if  ye  forgive  not  every  one  his 
brother  from  your  Iwarts."  The  same  truth  is  re- 
peated once  and  again  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus  on 
other  occasions ;  as  where  he  says,  "  Judge  not  that 
ye  be  not  judged;  for  with  what  judgment  ye  judge, 
ye  shall  be  judged;  and  with  what  measure  ye  mete, 
it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again."  Also,  in  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  "  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  also 
have  forgiven  our  debtors."  And,  in  general  terms, 
in  the  Golden  Rule,  "  Do  as  ye  would  be  done  by." 

In  the  contrast  presented  in  this  parable  we  have  an 
emphatic  presentation  of  the  Doctrine  of  Grace,  or 
mercy  to  the  undeserving.     We  sing, 

"Grace,  'tis  a  charming  sound, 
Harmonious  to  mine  ear; 
Heav'n  with  the  echo  shall  resound, 
And  all  the  earth  shall  hear." 


FORGIVING  205 

The  doctrine  is  emphasized  and  greatly  clarified  by 
the  side-light  which  this  parable  throws  upon  it. 

On  the  one  hand,  we  have  in  bold  relief  the  Grace 
of  God,  as  illustrated  in  the  King's  magnanimous 
treatment  of  his  servant.  This  Grace  is  manifest  in 
the  atonement  of  Christ,  who  said  of  Himself,  "  The 
Son  of  Man  is  come  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but 
to  minister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 

Sin  is  a  debt  incurred  to  the  Law;  and  the  Law  is 
a  hard  creditor.  It  records  in  a  great  ledger,  called 
"  The  Handwriting  of  Ordinances,"  all  our  transgres- 
sions, item  by  item.  The  sinner  who  is  thus  indebted 
to  the  Law  is  a  defaulter,  in  that  every  item  repre- 
sents a  wilful  and  inexcusable  violation  of  known 
duty.  And  the  sum  total  of  his  indebtedness  shows 
him  to  be  a  hopeless  bankrupt ;  he  owes  "  ten  thousand 
talents."  The  satrap  was  in  default  ten  millions  of 
dollars,  with  absolutely  no  assets ;  yet  he  had  the 
effrontery  to  say,  "  Have  patience  with  me  and  I  will 
pay  thee  all ! "  The  revenues  of  a  province  would 
have  been  but  a  bagatelle  in  meeting  such  a  debt. 
The  sins  of  the  sinner  are  as  the  sands  of  the  seashore 
for  multitude;  and  what  can  he  offer  as  an  offset? 
His  penitence?  Nay,  there  is  no  expiatory  virtue  in 
tears.  His  resolution  to  meet  the  obligation?  It  is 
a  true  saying,  Hell  is  paved  with  good  resolutions. 
There  is  absolutely  no  hope.  The  man  passes  into 
the  debtor's  jail  and  the  door  clangs  behind  him. 

But  as  sin  is  debt,  so  pardon  is  remission.  The 
Handwriting  of  Ordinances  is  blotted  out.  This  is 
by  reason  of  the  "  ransom  "  which  Jesus  paid ;  as  it 
is  written,  "  He  nailed  to  his  cross  the  Handwriting 
of  Ordinances  which  was  against  us,  taking  it  out  of 


206  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

the  way."     So  that  Mercy  and  Justice  are  reconciled 
in  the  pardon  of  sin. 

The  grace  thus  manifested  to  sinners  is  absolutely 
free.  Grace  and  gratis  are  cognate  terms.  Now  and 
then  we  hear  of  a  creditor  giving  a  receipt  on  this 
wise :  "  In  consideration  of  the  sum  of  one  dollar, 
thus  and  so  " ;  but  not  even  such  nominal  remunera- 
tion as  this  is  exacted  from  the  sinner  who  has  ac- 
cepted the  grace  of  God. 

"  Long  as  I  live  I'll  still  be  crying, 
Mercy's  free,  mercy's  free !  " 

And  thi§  grace  is  extended  to  all;  as  it  is  written, 
"  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters ; 
and  he  that  hath  no  money,  let  him  come  and  drink  " ; 
and  again,  "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no 
wise  cast  out."  In  no  wise?  Not  if  he  be  a  thief  or 
a  murderer?  Nay,  if  only  he  "come  unto  me." 
Heaven  is  full  of  such  flagrant  sinners  saved  by 
grace.  Christ  is  able,  and  as  willing  as  he  is  able,  to 
save  "  unto  the  uttermost "  all  who  thus  come  unto 
him. 

And  the  gracious  pardon  is  complete;  that  is,  it 
covers  the  whole  record  of  the  misspent  life.  The  sins 
of  the  sinner  are  blotted  out,  remitted,  sunk  into  the 
depths  of  an  unfathomable  sea,  cast  behind  God's 
back,  so  that  he  remembers  them  no  more  against 
him. 

Is  there  no  condition  affixed  to  this  proffer  of 
grace?  One  only,  the  same  condition  which  is  affixed 
to  every  gift;  to  wit,  that  it  shall  be  accepted.  Faith 
is  the  hand  stretched  forth  to  receive  it.  "  He  that 
believeth  shall  be  saved,"  that  is,  his  debts  are  liqui- 


FORGIVING  207 

dated ;  "  and  he  that  believeth  not "  is  still  indebted 
to  the  law ;  therefore  "  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on 
him." 

God  is  a  great  forgiver !  "  There's  a  wideness  in 
his  mercy  like  the  wideness  of  the  sea." 

But  now  we  turn  to  the  reverse  of  the  picture.  We 
have  contemplated  the  grace  of  God;  it  remains  to 
consider  the  Grace  of  Man,  as  brought  out  in  the 
attitude  of  the  satrap  toward  his  fellow-servant. 
Observe  the  contrast,  for  here  the  emphasis  lies.  The 
only  possible  return  that  we  can  make  for  the  divine 
goodness  is  to  reflect  it,  as  far  as  possible,  in  our  con- 
duct toward  our  fellow-men. 

We  have  abundant  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of 
Grace,  since  we  have  all  been  wronged.  "  Man's  in- 
humanity to  man  makes  countless  thousands  mourn." 
How  could  it  be  otherwise,  human  nature  being  what 
it  is?  But  the  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord. 
In  all  the  universe  there  is  no  man  who  has  suffered 
such  injustice  as  Christ.  What  "  contradiction  of  sin- 
ners "  he  endured !  He  was  misunderstood,  forsaken, 
scourged,  rejected,  spit  upon,  put  to  an  ignominious 
death.  How  small  our  wrongs  appear  in  the  light  of 
his! 

Do  we  resent  them?  Do  we  propose  to  exact  pay- 
ment of  the  debts  which  are  owed  us?  Do  we  take 
our  adversary  by  the  throat?  Alas,  how  persistently 
we  cherish  the  memory  of  injustice  and  unkindness. 
Old  grudges  rankle  within  us.  We  have  much  to  say 
about  domestic  feuds  in  the  South,  and  about  the 
Mafia  that  sends  its  agents  across  the  ocean  with 
vengeance  in  their  hearts.  But  in  a  smaller,  meaner 
and  more  cowardly  way  we  often  keep  a  memoran- 


208  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

dum  of  gossip  and  misrepresentation  in  the  hope  of 
"  evening  up  "  some  day.  If  a  misfortune  befall  our 
debtor,  are  we  sorry?  Back  in  the  dark  places  of  our 
heart  do  we  not  somehow  cherish  the  thought  that, 
however  he  may  defraud  us  here,  a  just  recompense 
awaits  him  in  the  Great  Day?  Or  if  we  consent  to 
forgive,  how  many  questions  like  Peter's  arise,  "  How 
oft  shall  I  forgive  him  ? "  or,  "  Suppose  he  is  not 
sorry  ?  "  or,  "  Who  shall  take  the  initiative  ?  "  Thus 
we  sweep  the  room  and  leave  the  dust  behind  the 
door.  Oh,  little  people  that  we  are !  Far,  far,  indeed, 
is  our  spirit  from  the  mind  of  God. 

What  is  the  right  attitude,  then?  Grace.  Pardon 
to  the  undeserving.  God's  Grace  in  our  hearts  pour- 
ing itself  out  again  without  stint.  Love  to  the  utter- 
most. Charity  not  to  God's  poor  only,  but  to  the 
devil's  poor.  Forgetfulness  of  grudges ;  "  let  bygones 
be  bygones  ";  "  let  the  dead  bury  their  dead."  Why? 
Because  "  to  err  is  human,  to  forgive  divine."  The 
right  spirit  was  exhibited  by  Sir  Thomas  More  when, 
on  being  sentenced  to  death,  he  said  to  his  unjust 
judge,  "  Sir,  I  am  wronged;  but  I  cherish  no  enmity 
against  thee.  As  Paul  held  the  clothes  of  those  who 
stoned  Stephen  and  afterwards  met  him  in  heaven, 
so  do  I  entertain  the  hope  that  by  the  mercy  of  Christ 
we  may  meet  in  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Now  this  is  the  very  heart  of  the  Gospel  of  Recon- 
ciliation. God  by  his  Grace  comes  down  to  meet  us, 
and  we  by  the  exercise  of  a  similar  Grace  go  out  to 
meet  those  about  us.  This  is  "  the  truce  of  God,"  of 
which  the  angels  sang,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
peace  on  earth  and  good  will  toward  men."  Christ 
came  to  bring  peace  of  a  three-fold  sort;  peace  with 


FORGIVING  209 

God,  peace  with  ourselves  and  peace  with  our  fellow- 
men.  And  in  this  interchange  of  Grace  betwixt 
heaven  and  earth  lies  the  hope  of  that  ultimate  Utopia 
in  which  "  Man  to  man,  the  whole  world  o'er,  shall 
brothers  be." 

But  how  shall  we  attain  unto  it?  First,  by  get- 
ting into  vital  communion  with  Christ ;  that  is,  by  ac- 
cepting him  as  the  personal  manifestation  of  the 
Grace  of  God.  Second,  by  contemplating  the  divine 
grace,  as  exhibited  on  Calvary,  until  "  the  eye  affect- 
eth  the  heart."  If  the  debtor  in  the  parable  had  not 
forgotten  what  the  king  had  done  for  him,  he  never 
would  have  dealt  so  hardly  with  his  fellow-servant. 
If  he  had  remembered  the  ten  millions  of  dollars,  he 
would  not  have  been  so  particular  about  the  seventeen 
dollars.  So  then,  let  us  take  our  place  on  Calvary 
and,  looking  toward  the  cross,  get  some  conception 
of  what  God  has  done  in  our  behalf.  An  Oriental 
poet  puts  it  on  this  wise: 

Once  staggering  blind  with  folly  on  the  brink  of  hell, 
Above  the  everlasting  fire-flood's  frightful  roar, 
God  threw  his  heart  before  my  feet;  and,  stumbling  o'er 
That  obstacle  divine,  I  into  heaven  fell! 

Third,  we  shall  assist  ourselves  into  this  attitude  of 
Grace  by  forming  a  just  conception  of  the  Canon  of 
Judgment  which  is  to  obtain  on  the  Great  Day ;  "  For 
with  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to 
you  again." 

I  have  read  somewhere  of  an  old-time  baron  who, 
on  hearing  that  an  enemy  who  had  grievously 
wronged  him  was  about  to  pass  his  castle,  put  his 
retainers  in  martial  array  and  said  to  his  chaplain, 


210  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

"  Ere  we  go  forth  to  our  revenge,  lead  us  in  prayer." 
The  chaplain  said,  "  Let  us  go  apart,  thou  and  I,  and 
say  the  Lord's  Prayer."  They  repeated  it  together 
until  they  came  to  the  petition,  "  Forgive  us  our 
trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against 
us,"  where  the  baron  dropped  out.  "  My  lord,"  asked 
the  chaplain,  "why  art  thou  silent?"  "  I  cannot  say 
this."  "  Then  arise  and  go  forth  armed  to  meet  thine 
enemy ;  but  so  will  God  meet  thee  on  the  Great  Day." 

Is  this  hard  doctrine?  It  is  the  teaching  of  Christ; 
and  as  followers  of  Christ  we  should  understand  it; 
since  we  profess  to  follow  in  his  steps.  He  preached 
the  doctrine  of  forgiveness,  and  he  exemplified  it. 
Was  ever  greater  magnanimity  than  in  his  last  prayer 
on  the  cross,  "  Father,  forgive  them  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do  "  ?  Let  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ 
Jesus  be  also  in  us.  If  we  are  smitten,  let  us  turn  the 
other  cheek  rather  than  resent  it.  If  we  are  wronged, 
let  us  not  avenge  it.  A  philosophy  like  this  may  entail 
a  measure  of  suffering;  but  we  shall  enter  into  sym- 
pathy with  our  Lord  in  pursuing  it. 

"  What  can  Jesus  Christ  do  for  you  now  ?  "  said  a 
master  who  had  bound  his  slave  to  the  whipping  post. 
"  He  can  teach  me  how  to  forgive  you,  Massa,"  was 
the  answer.  Aye,  this  our  Lord  can  do:  and  in  so 
doing  he  will  make  us  "  partakers  of  the  divine  na- 
ture." In  Jesus  we  behold  the  vital  union  of  God  with 
humanity ;  here  is  man  at  his  best,  in  touch  with  God. 
Emerson  says,  "  His  heart  was  as  large  as  the  uni- 
verse, but  there  was  no  room  in  it  for  the  memory  of 
a  wrong."  Our  imitation  of  Christ  is  the  measure 
of  our  approach  to  the  full  stature  of  manhood.  And 
as  Christians  we  are  bound  to  imitate  him  in  all  things. 


FORGIVING  211 

At  whatever  cost,  we  must  be  Christlike,  for  a  true 
Christian  speaks  on  this  wise :  "  I  am  crucified  with 
Christ ;  nevertheless  I  live ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth 
in  me;  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I 
live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and 
gave  himself  for  me." 


XX 

THE    IMPLACABLE    LAW 

In  which  he  exposes  a  number  of  Common  Mistakes  about 
sin  and  retribution. 

Jesus,  to  certain  who  told  him  of  the  Galileans,  whose 
blood  Pilate  had  mingled  with  their  sacrifices: 

"  Think  ye  that  these  Galileans  were  sinners  above  all 
the  Galileans,  because  they  have  suffered  these  things? 
I  tell  you,  Nay:  but,  except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  in  like 
manner  perish.  Or  those  eighteen,  upon  whom  the  tower 
in  Siloam  fell,  and  killed  them,  think  ye  that  they  were 
offenders  above  all  the  men  that  dwell  in  Jerusalem?" 
— Luke  xiii,  1-5. 

The  Lord  had  been  speaking  of  signs  and  omens. 
He  knew  that  in  less  than  forty  years  the  City  of 
Jerusalem  was  destined  to  go  down  in  fire  and  blood ; 
and  he  reproached  the  religious  leaders  for  their  blind- 
ness and  indifference :  "  Ye  are  weather-wise,"  he 
said,  "  but  deaf  to  the  mutterings  of  the  offended 
law.  O  mask-wearers,  ye  can  interpret  the  lurid 
skies;  how  is  it  that  ye  discern  not  the  signs  of  the 
times?" 

Now  there  were  among  his  hearers  some  who  had 
been  present  at  a  bloody  fray  which  had  recently  oc- 
curred within  the  precincts  of  the  Temple.  A  group 
of  Galileans  were  engaged  in  offering  sacrifices  there, 
when  a  detachment  of  troops  from  the  Castle  of  An- 
tonia  fell  upon  and  slew  them,  derisively  sprinkling 
their  blood  upon  the  altar.     It  was  the  fashion  then, 

212 


THE    IMPLACABLE    LAW  213 

as  it  is  now  in  some  quarters,  to  attribute  such  calami- 
ties to  the  retributive  justice  of  God.  So  this  massa- 
cre was  interpreted  by  those  who  mentioned  it  on  this 
occasion  as  a  token  of  the  divine  displeasure  on  ac- 
count, probably,  of  the  departure  of  these  Galileans 
from  their  ancestral  faith. 

But  Jesus  detected  the  false  note ;  "  Suppose  ye," 
he  asked,  "  that  the  victims  of  this  calamity  were  sin- 
ners above  the  other  Galileans,  because  they  suffered 
such  things?  I  tell  you,  Nay;  but  except  ye  repent, 
ye  shall  all  likewise  perish !  "  And  he  went  on  im- 
mediately to  refer  to  another  occurrence  of  similar  im- 
port: "As  to  those  eighteen  on  whom  the  tower  of 
Siloam  recently  fell ;  think  ye  that  they  were  sinners 
above  all  that  were  in  Jerusalem?  I  tell  you,  Nay; 
but  except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish !  " 
The  event  to  which  he  here  referred  was  one  of  a 
class,  such  as  the  recent  disaster  in  the  mining 
regions  of  Pennsylvania  or  the  burning  of  the  Iro- 
quois Theatre  in  Chicago,  which  invariably  give  rise 
to  vexing  questions  as  to  God's  hand  in  the  matter. 
The  falling  of  this  Tower  of  Siloam  is  referred  to  by 
Josephus,  the  Jewish  historian,  who  attributes  the 
lamentable  death  of  the  eighteen  workmen  to  the  fact 
that  they  allowed  Pilate  to  pay  them  their  wages  out 
of  the  sacred  treasury.    For  this  they  died  the  death ! 

Christ  took  issue  with  this  view.  And  in  the  light 
of  his  teaching  we  are  enabled  to  correct  a  consider- 
able number  of  misapprehensions  as  to  the  relation  of 
sin  and  punishment  which  were  not  only  in  the  minds 
of  his  hearers  then,  but  are  widely  entertained  even  at 
this  day. 

I.    There  is,  to  begin  with,  the  idea  that  God  is  a 


214  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

Martinet,  with  whip  of  scorpions  in  hand,  ever  on 
the  watch  for  sin  and  eager  to  inflict  the  penalty 
of  it. 

Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth.  We 
are  bound  to  affirm,  of  course,  that  nothing  happens 
without  God.  "  Doth  trouble  spring  out  of  the 
ground?"  (Job  v,  6.)  The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap; 
but  the  disposing  thereof  is  with  the  Lord.  No  theory 
of  Providence  can  be  correct  which  removes  any  event 
whatsoever  from  the  divine  purview.  The  universe 
is  under  law ;  and  God  is  Dens  ex  machina.  In  the 
operation  of  this  machinery  of  the  universe  it  is  in- 
evitable that  sin  should  produce  its  normal  results. 
"  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap," 
is  written  not  more  clearly  in  Scripture  than  in  the 
nerves  and  sinews,  the  mind  and  conscience,  of  man. 
If  God  interferes  with  the  calm  operation  of  that  law, 
it  is  only  through  the  interposition  of  some  higher 
law.  All  things  are  under  law.  There  is  no  chance, 
no  haphazard.  The  sowing  and  the  harvesting  are 
yoked  together  as  cause  and  effect.  And  God  thanks 
no  man  for  an  apology  for  his  management  of 
affairs;  the  end  of  controversy  being  in  his  words, 
"  Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God ! " 

Were  it  not  for  this  control  the  universe  would  be 
confusion  worse  confounded.  God's  domain  is  not 
chaos,  but  cosmos.  Order  is  the  first  law  of  earth  as 
of  heaven,  of  mind  as  of  matter.  As  in  the  "  Com- 
bined Harvester "  which  reaps  and  threshes  while 
rolling  through  the  yellow  field,  so  natural  law  and 
Moral  Law  unite  to  carry  out  the  divine  behest.  And 
the  saving  factor  in  the  otherwise  bewildering  prob- 
lem is  our  confident  assurance  that  the  great  Hus- 


THE    IMPLACABLE    LAW  215 

bandman,  whose  name  is  Love,  has  his  eyes  and  hand 
upon  all. 

II.  It  is  a  mistake  also  to  suppose  that  all  Suffer- 
ing is  the  Immediate  Penalty  of  Sin. 

Here  is  where  Job's  comforters  erred.  "  Who  ever 
perished,"  they  asked,  "  being  innocent ;  or  where 
were  the  righteous  cut  off?  "  This  idea  is  easily  con- 
futed by  the  manifest  inequality  of  rewards  and 
punishments  among  men.  The  innocent  suffer  on 
every  hand,  and  the  wicked  man  is  not  infrequently 
exalted  so  that  he  flourishes  like  a  green  bay  tree. 
The  bad  boy  who  robs  an  orchard  does  not  always 
fall  from  the  tree;  the  lad  who  goes  skating  on  Sun- 
day does  not  always  break  through  and  drown.  This 
is  a  juvenile  way  of  looking  at  things  and  does  not 
represent  the  divine  method  of  administering  justice. 
The  merchant  who  loses  his  wealth  is  not  warranted 
in  concluding  that  his  calamity  was  necessarily  due 
to  dishonesty  in  the  management  of  his  business.  The 
bereaved  husband  who  recently  met  me  at  the  door- 
way of  his  desolated  home  with  the  exclamation,  "  Oh, 
what  I  have  done  that  God  should  so  afflict  me  ? " 
was  a  poor  philosopher.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  all 
suffering  is  directly  or  indirectly  due  to  sin ;  but  much 
of  it  is  the  result  of  a  long  train  of  circumstances. 
The  twinges  of  rheumatism  which  I  feel  occasionally 
may  not  be  traceable  to  any  offence  of  mine  against 
natural  law,  but  to  the  fact  perhaps  that  my  great 
great  grandfather  once  sat  in  a  draught  and,  con- 
tracting the  malady,  has  passed  it  on.  Nevertheless, 
there  is  enough  of  truth  in  the  immediate  conse- 
quences of  such  sin  to  admonish  us  against  the  dan- 
ger of  trifling  with  the  laws    of    health.     "  Sin    no 


216  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

more,"  said  Christ  to  the  man  of  Bethesda,  "  lest 
a  worse  thing  come  upon  thee." 

It  should  be  remembered,  moreover,  that  some  of 
our  sufferings  are  not  consequential  but  corrective. 
Does  God  send  trouble,  then?  Sometimes;  else  he 
would  be  less  kind  and  considerate  than  earthly  pa- 
rents are  towards  their  children.  So  it  is  written, 
"  Despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the  Lord,  nor 
faint  when  thou  are  rebuked  of  him;  for  whom  the 
Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son 
whom  he  receiveth.  If  ye  endure  chastening,  God 
dealeth  with  you  as  with  sons ;  for  what  son  is  he 
whom  the  father  chasteneth  not?  But  if  ye  be  with- 
out chastisement,  whereof  all  are  partakers,  then  are 
ye  bastards  and  not  sons.  Moreover,  we  have  had 
fathers  of  our  flesh  that  corrected  us,  and  we  gave 
them  reverence:  shall  we  not  much  rather  be  in  sub- 
jection to  the  Father  of  spirits,  and  live?  For  they 
verily  for  a  few  days  chastened  us  after  their  own 
pleasure;  but  he  for  our  profit,  that  we  might  be 
partakers  of  his  holiness"  (Heb.  xii,  6-10). 

III.  It  is  a  further  mistake  to  think  that  the 
Punishment  due  to  Sin  is  always  administered  Here 
and   Now. 

The  reaping  of  life's  sowing  is  inevitable;  but  it 
may  not  come  in  this  present  life.  We  think  of  man 
as  going  about  in  a  little  circle  of  three  score  years 
and  ten ;  but  God  sees  him  moving  around  the  great 
circle  of  eternity ;  and  at  the  centre  of  that  great  circle 
is  the  Judgment  Throne.  Justice  is  a  sure  paymas- 
ter; but  it  does  not  settle  with  us  every  thirty  days. 
God  can  afford  to  wait  patiently  for  men  to  repent, 
since  "  the  eternal  years  are  his."    This  accounts  for 


THE    IMPLACABLE    LAW  217 

the  fact  that  oftentimes  the  wicked  go  through  life 
unscathed.  "  The  Lord  is  not  slack  concerning  his 
promise,  as  some  men  count  slackness ;  but  is  long 
suffering  to  usward,  not  willing  that  any  should  per- 
ish, but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance  "  (2  Pet. 
iii,  9).  "The  mills  of  God  grind  slowly,  but  they 
grind  exceeding  small ;  though  with  patience  he 
stands  waiting,  with  exactness  grinds  he  all." 

When  the  balance  is  finally  struck,  criticism  will 
cease;  all  will  then  confess  that  the  "judgments  of 
the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether."  In  the 
meantime  we  trust  in  Providence  and  calmly  await 
the  final  adjustment.  And  a  moment's  thought  will 
convince  us  of  the  reasonableness  of  the  present 
order ;  since,  as  Augustine  wisely  said,  "  If  no  sin 
were  punished  in  this  life,  men  would  refuse  to  be- 
lieve in  Providence ;  but  if  all  sins  were  punished 
here,  they  would  refuse  to  believe  in  a  final  Judg- 
ment." 

IV.  It  is  a  mistake,  also,  to  think  that  Vulgar  and 
Conspicuous  Sins  are  more  Culpable  than  others  or 
more  Offensive  in  the  sight  of  God. 

This  was  the  view  entertained  by  those  who  spoke 
to  Jesus  of  the  lapientable  death  of  the  Galileans  in 
the  Temple  Court,  and  of  the  workmen  who  had  ac- 
cepted their  wages  from  Corban.  "  Well  might  the 
sword  drink  their  sacrilegious  blood ;  well  might  the 
tower  fall  upon  them !  "  The  reply  of  Jesus  was  to 
this  effect,  "  Although  your  sins  may  be  less  apparent, 
unless  ye  repent  ye  also  shall  die." 

It  is  the  fashion  in  our  time  to  cry  out  against  cer- 
tain flagitious  crimes  and  vices.  What  is  to  become 
of  the  drunkard  who  goes  reeling  through  our  streets ; 


218  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

of  the  cyprian  who  flaunts  her  shame  before  the  pub- 
lic's eyes;  of  the  thieves  caught  redhanded  in  the  act? 
Let  it  be  remembered,  however,  that  all  sin  is  vulgar 
and  debasing  in  the  divine  sight.  All  sin  is  subversive 
of  social  order  and  in  the  nature  of  rebellion  against 
God. 

The  drunkard  and  the  drab  shall  meet  their  doom ; 
but  what  of  other  and  more  respectable  sinners  ?  What 
of  the  mean  man  whose  soul  is  shot  through  and 
through  with  avarice,  whose  life  is  full  of  self-seeking 
and  oppression?  Shall  he  escape,  think  you?  True, 
he  may  not  go  to  Sing  Sing ;  but  there  are  more  cells 
in  God's  Sing  Sing  than  in  ours.  A  man  may  steal 
a  loaf  of  bread  and  get  thirty  days  for  it,  while  he 
who  steals  a  railroad  gets  a  splendid  mansion,  lives  in 
luxury,  dies  lamented  and  has  a  Latin  epitaph  on  his 
gravestone. 

But  what  of  that?  God's  ways  are  not  our  ways; 
he  sees  with  other  eyes.  Those  who  wear  their 
faults  "  upon  their  sleeves  for  daws  to  peck  at "  are 
not  necessarily  sinners  above  all  the  Galileans;  nor 
must  we  hastily  conclude  that  the  culprits  who  are 
summoned  before  our  Police  Courts  are  more  to 
blame  in  the  larger  view  than  many  who  sit  comfort- 
ably at  home  arrayed  in  purple  and  fine  linen.  The 
tower  of  Siloam  does  not  fall  on  all  evil  doers. 

In  one  of  Paul's  letters  to  Timothy  he  says,  "  Some 
men's  sins  are  open  beforehand,  going  before  to  judg- 
ment; and  some  they  follow  after."  Do  you  see  the 
startling  figure?  It  is  of  two  men  on  their  journey 
to  the  Great  Assize.  One  of  them  is  preceded  by  his 
sins;  great,  loud-mouthed,  boastful  sins,  going  be- 
fore him  like  heralds  with  trumpets  at  their  lips,  call- 


THE    IMPLACABLE    LAW  219 

ing,  "  Behold  this  man !  A  great  criminal,  a  thief,  a 
murderer,  an  habitual  drunkard!  See  the  brand  on 
his  forehead !  The  works  of  the  flesh  are  manifest 
upon  him ;  behold  his  red  eyes,  his  bloated  coun- 
tenance !  He  has  disgraced  himself,  his  neighbors  and 
his  friends.  Make  way  for  him  as  he  hastens  to  his 
doom !  "  The  other  walks  erect  as  one  accustomed  to 
adulation  and  obeisance.  No  accusers  go  before ;  but 
they  follow  him  stealthily ;  hiding,  slinking,  ghostly 
pursuers  hovering  on  his  steps.  These  are  gentle  sins, 
respectable  sins,  such  as  meanness,  penuriousness, 
worldliness,  selfishness,  impiety,  sins  of  omission,  sins 
done  in  a  corner,  secret  sins,  sneaking  sins.  They 
follow  like  the  fabled  Furies  on  wool-shod  feet,  in 
silent  swift  pursuit,  making  no  outcry,  but  leering, 
whispering,  knowing  how  sure  they  are  to  overtake 
him  at  the  judgment  bar  of  God. 

V.  Another  of  the  mistakes  which  Christ  corrects 
is  the  supposition  that  Proficiency  in  the  art  of  De- 
tecting Sin  in  other  people  is  an  Evidence  of  Personal 
Righteousness. 

He  straightway  turns  the  thought  of  his  hearers 
from  the  Galileans  to  themselves :  "  Let  those  un- 
fortunates alone,"  he  says,  "  and  look  to  your  own 
sins !  "  A  detective  is  not  necessarily  the  best  of  men. 
On  the  contrary,  "  it  takes  a  rogue  to  catch  a  rogue." 
Had  David  not  erred  so  grievously  in  the  matter  of 
Uriah's  wife,  he  would  probably  not  have  been  so 
quick  to  denounce  the  theft  of  the  little  ewe  lamb. 

O  ye  wha  are  sae  guid  yoursel' 

Sae  pious   and   sae   holy, 
Ye've  nought  to  do  but  mark  and  tell. 

Your  neebor's   fauts   and   folly: — 


220  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

Ye  see  your  state  \vi'  theirs  compared, 

And  shudder  at  the  niffer; 
But  cast  a  moment's  fair  regard, 

What  makes  the  mighty  differ? 
Discount  what  scant  occasion  gave 

That  purity  ye  pride  in, 
And   (what's  aft  mair  than  a'  the  lave) 

Your  better  art  o'   hidin' ! 

No  sin  is  more  severely  dealt  with  in  the  teaching 
of  Jesus  than  habitual  censoriousness.  Of  the  two 
men  who  went  up  to  the  temple  to  pray, — the  Phari- 
see who  proudly  said,  "  I  thank  thee,  God,  that  I  am 
not  as  the  rest  of  men ;  unjust,  adulterers,  extor- 
tioners, or  even  as  this  publican !  "  and  the  publican, 
beating  on  his  breast  and  crying,  "  God  be  merciful ; 
I  have  nothing  to  plead  but  my  unworthiness," — he 
said,  "  I  tell  you  this  man  went  down  to  his  house 
justified  rather  than  the  other." 

And  on  another  occasion,  when  the  self-righteous 
Pharisees  brought  to  him  a  woman  taken  in  adultery, 
saying,  "  Moses  in  the  Law  said  that  such  as  she  shall 
be  stoned ;  but  what  sayest  thou  ?  "  he  stooped  and 
wrote  on  the  dust  of  the  temple  floor — his  only  written 
sermon — and  when  they  read,  "  Let  him  that  is  with- 
out sin  cast  the  first  stone  at  her,"  they  went  out,  one 
by  one,  beginning  at  the  eldest.  See  them,  the  cow- 
ardly censors,  so  hard  on  open  sin  while  their  own 
characters  are  honeycombed  with  secret  sin,  see  them 
slinking  out  of  his  presence  for  very  shame  and  self- 
contempt  ! 

VI.  And  another  mistake,  one  that  is  extremely 
prevalent  in  our  time,  is  the  supposition  that  the  God 
of  the  New  Testament  is  a  Milder  Magistrate  than 
the  God  of  the  Old  Testament. 


THE    IMPLACABLE    LAW  221 

In  fact  the  God  of  the  New  Testament  and  the  God 
of  the  Old  Testament  are  one ;  since  Christ  is  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Godhead  bodily.  He  is  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day  and  forever.  With  him  is  no  variableness, 
neither  shadow  of  turning.  He  introduced  no  new 
philosophy  of  sin  when,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  he 
came  into  the  world  to  deliver  sinners  from  the  penalty 
of  it. 

Let  those  who  insist  that  Jesus  in  his  teaching  an- 
tagonized the  stern  philosophy  of  the  Law  and  the 
Prophets,  find  if  they  can  anywhere  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment such  denunciations  of  sin  and  forewarnings  of 
retribution  as  fell  from  his  loving  lips. 

Who  was  it  that  spoke  of  the  fire  that  is  never 
quenched,  of  the  worm  that  dieth  not,  of  the  outer 
darkness  and  the  bottomless  pit? 

Who  was  it  that  said,  "  If  thine  eye  offend  thee, 
pluck  it  out  and  cast  it  from  thee ;  it  is  better  for  thee 
to  enter  into  life  with  one  eye,  rather  than  having  two 
eyes  to  be  cast  into  hell  fire " ;  and,  "  If  thy  hand 
offend  thee,  cut  it  off  and  cast  it  from  thee ;  it  is  bet- 
ter for  thee  to  enter  into  life  with  one  hand,  rather 
than  having  two  hands  to  be  cast  into  the  everlasting 
fire"? 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  punishments  to 
which  he  referred  are  not  physical,  since  flesh  and 
blood  shall  have  no  part  in  the  future  life ;  but,  surely, 
he  would  never  have  used  figures  of  such  frightful 
import  were  it  not  that  he  intended  to  convey  an  im- 
pression of  suffering  beyond  the  possibility  of  words. 

VII.  One  more  mistake  is  corrected  by  implica- 
cation  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus ;  namely,  that  there  is 
any  more  moderate  or  more  reasonable  View  of  the 


222  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

Relation  of  Sin  and  Penalty  than  that  which  he  pre- 
sents. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  suggestion  of  a  world  con- 
trolled by  chance  furnishes  no  clue  to  the  mystery. 
No  more  does  the  philosophy  which  supplants  a  per- 
sonal God  by  the  operation  of  insensate  law.  In  this 
case  all  is  rigid,  merciless,  implacable.  If  God  be 
eliminated  from  the  control  of  human  affairs,  then, 
as  someone  has  said,  "  Nothing  remains  but  teeth 
and  claws."  This  is  Karma,  "  the  Law  of  Conse- 
quences," an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth. 
In  Huxley's  exposition  of  Nature's  laws,  he  says  "We 
have  here  not  a  word  and  a  blow,  but  more  often  a 
blow  without  a  word;  and  we  find  out  that  our  ears 
are  boxed."  This  is  too  Draconian  for  us.  This  is 
too  hard  and  implacable  and  hopeless  for  us.  What 
shall  we  do  to  be  saved  from  the  horror  of  inexorable 
philosophies  that  have  nothing  to  propose  but  exact 
retribution? 

"  To  whom,  Lord,  shall  we  come  but  unto  thee  ? 
thou  only  hast  the  word  of  eternal  life."  Jesus  said, 
"  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish."  The 
great  manifesto  of  the  Gospel  is  in  those  words,  "  Ex- 
cept ye  repent."  You  will  search  for  it  through  all 
the  false  religions  and  philosophies  in  vain.  Repent 
and  live!  The  word  flames  like  a  beacon  on  the 
heights.  It  glows  like  morning  light  from  the  cross. 
Repent  and  live !  And  except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  per- 
ish. All !  Likewise !  For  there  is  no  difference ;  since 
all  are  concluded  under  sin. 

Repentance  means  sorrow  for  sin ;  not  only  for  the 
punishment  that  ensues,  but  for  the  sin  itself,  because 
it  is  essentially  hateful  and  abhorrent  to  God. 


THE    IMPLACABLE    LAW  223 

Repentance  means,  also,  acceptance  of  proffered 
pardon  in  the  divinely  appointed  way.  No  man  is 
truly  penitent  who  refuses  to  believe  in  Christ.  This 
is  the  only  door  that  has  ever  been  opened  out  of  the 
prison  house;  and  to  refuse  to  pass  through  it  is  to 
doom  one's  self  to  a  life-sentence,  which  is  spiritual 
and  eternal  death.  Wherefore,  look  and  live !  "  The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 

And  repentance  means  also  avoidance  of  sin.  No 
man  is  a  true  penitent  who  continues  in  any  known 
sin.  He  who  has  accepted  Christ  and  so  passed  from 
darkness  into  light,  looks  on  sin  with  somewhat  of  the 
horror  with  which  God  regards  it.  He  hates  it  with 
the  loathing  felt  by  Eleazar  in  the  time  of  the  Macca- 
bees, who,  when  his  teeth  had  been  pried  open  and 
swine's  flesh  thrust  between  them,  spat  it  out,  crying, 
"  Nay,  rather  let  me  die ;   I  will  have  none  of  it !  " 

This  is  the  philosophy  of  the  gracious  Christ.  The 
same  lips  that  uttered  the  fierce  denunciation,  "  Woe 
unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites,  generation 
of  vipers,  how  shall  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ?" 
a  moment  later  said,  as  gently  as  a  mother  to  an  ailing 
child,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

There  is  no  clue  to  the  mystery  of  the  divine  hand 
in  human  affairs  save  in  the  teaching  of  this  Christ. 
There  is  no  way  of  escape  from  the  implacable  Law 
of  Exact  Justice  save  in  his  redeeming  grace.  "  If 
any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father, 
even  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous."  He  lifts  his 
wounded  hands  in  perpetual  intercession  for  us. 
Wherefore,  if  our  sins  weigh  heavy  on  our  souls  and 
we  sincerely  long  to  be  free,  let  us  run  to  him. 


XXI 

PROFESSION    AND    PRACTICE 

In  which  he  lays  bare  the  inconsistency  of  those  who  profess 
to  be  Christians  while  not  closely  following  him. 

Jesus,  to  his  disciples  and  others  who  followed  him: 
"And  why  call  ye  me,  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things 
which  I  say?  Every  one  that  cometh  unto  me,  and 
heareth  my  words,  and  doeth  them,  I  will  show  you  to 
whom  he  is  like:  he  is  like  a  man  building  a  house,  who 
digged  and  went  deep,  and  laid  a  foundation  upon  the 
rock:  and  when  a  flood  arose,  the  stream  brake  against 
that  house,  and  could  not  shake  it:  because  it  had  been 
well  builded.  But  he  that  heareth,  and  doeth  not,  is  like 
a  man  that  built  a  house  upon  the  earth  without  a  founda- 
tion; against  which  the  stream  brake,  and  straightway  it 
fell  in;  and  the  ruin  of  that  house  was  great." — Luke 
vi,  46-49- 

"  I  would  be  a  member  of  the  church  if  it  were  not 
for  the  inconsistencies  of  those  who  profess  to  follow 
Christ.  It  seems  to  me  there  are  a  good  many  peo- 
ple outside  of  the  church  who  live  better  lives  than 
others  who  are  in  it." 

Who  said  that?  The  reader,  very  possibly.  There 
are  many  people  who,  not  professing  to  be  Christians 
themselves,  are  more  or  less  accustomed  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  shortcomings  of  members  of  the  church. 
And  they  are  quite  correct  as  to  their  facts.  More- 
over, Christ  agrees  with  them.  The  touchstone  which 
they  are  wont  to  use  in  these  premises  is  one  which  he 


PROFESSION    AND    PRACTICE        225 

himself  has  placed  in  their  hands ;  to  wit,  "  By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

The  two  facts  in  religion,  as  the  Master  presented 
it,  are  Profession  and  Practice. 

Profession  is  defined  in  the  terms  "  Lord !  Lord !  " — 
a  form  of  address  which  he  approved,  on  this  wise, 
"  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord,  and  ye  say  well,  for  so 
I  am  " —  and  the  Practice  is  defined  in  the  terms 
"  doing  the  things  which  I  say."  On  these  facts  re- 
ligion goes  pari  passu,  "  at  an  even  gait " ;  and  the 
religion  in  which  they  do  not  go  together  has  a  la- 
mentable limp  in  it. 

So  I  say  to  these  people,  you  are  quite  right  in  af- 
firming that  many  Christians  are  not  what  they  ought 
to  be.  It  is  my  purpose  for  the  moment  to  stand  with 
you  and  make  a  frank  statement  of  the  matter  as  it 
appears  to  you.  In  the  church  you  see  three  kinds 
of  people:  good,  bad  and  indifferent.  And  this  must 
needs  be,  as  Christ  said,  "  The  wheat  and  the  tares 
grow  together  until  the  harvest."  The  three  classes 
are  clearly  divided,  by  their  various  attitudes  toward 
this  question  of  Profession  and  Practice,  as  follows: 

I.  Minimum  Christians;  that  is,  such  as  make  a 
profession,  but  do  not  practice  it. 

Their  names  are  on  the  church-roll  as  "  members  in 
good  and  regular  standing  " ;  and  this  constitutes  the 
sum  and  substance  of  their  religion.  They  have 
no  creed  to  speak  of.  As  a  rule  they  know  little 
about  doctrine  and  will  frankly  tell  you  that  they  care 
less. 

They  have  no  rigid  rules  of  conduct ;  or,  if  so,  they 
are  not  perceptibly  influenced  by  them.  Their  joining 
the  church  has  made  no  visible  difference  in  their 


226  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

manner  of  life.  They  cherish  the  same  old  habits  and 
indulge  in  the  same  old  sins. 

And  as  for  the  service  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
they  take  no  apparent  interest  in  it.  They  stand  idle 
in  the  market-place  while  the  harvest  goes  on.  All 
missions  are  alike  "  foreign "  to  them.  In  short, 
there  is  no  difference  whatever  between  these  "  Chris- 
tians "  and  the  world's  people,  so  far  as  anybody  can 
see. 

Are  they  to  be  saved  ?  They  profess  to  entertain  a 
hope  of  salvation ;  but  their  hope  is  like  the  railway 
ticket  which  a  sleeping  traveller  wears  in  his  hat- 
band so  that  the  conductor  may  not  disturb  him.  The 
danger  is  that  they  may  presently  wake  up  with  a 
start  to  find  that  they  have  passed  their  destination 
without  knowing  it.  For  these  are  the  ones  to  whom 
Jesus  referred  when  he  said,  "  Why  call  ye  me  Lord, 
Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  which  I  say." 

The  outcome  of  such  an  empty  profession  is  illus- 
trated by  an  incident  in  the  life  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton. 
Being  a  very  absent-minded  man,  he  once  caused  his 
horse  to  be  saddled  for  a  journey,  but,  neglecting  to 
mount,  trudged  on  with  the  halter  in  his  hand,  deeply 
lost  in  meditation.  The  horse  presently  slipped  his 
head  through  the  bridle  and  ran  away ;  but  the  philoso- 
pher, heeding  it  not,  kept  on  to  the  toll-gate,  where 
he  awoke  from  his  reverie  to  find  that  he  was  drag- 
ging the  empty  bridle  after  him. 

The  view  of  Christ  himself  as  to  such  persons  is 
presented  in  his  parable  of  the  Ten  Virgins :  "  And 
while  the  foolish  went  to  buy  oil  for  their  lamps,  the 
bridegroom  came ;  and  they  that  were  ready  went  in 
with    him    to    the    marriage:    and    the    door    was 


PROFESSION    AND    PRACTICE        227 

shut.  Then  came  also  the  others,  saying,  Lord,  Lord, 
open  unto  us!  But  he  answered  and  said,  Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  I  know  you  not." 

So  when  you  are  disposed  to  criticise  this  sort  of 
church  members  you  may  be  sure  that  the  Lord 
agrees  with  you.  It  is  probable  that  in  living  thus 
inconsistently  they  imagine  they  are  pursuing  a  popu- 
lar course  and  gaining  the  friendship  of  the  world. 
You  yourselves  have  probably  given  them  a  hail-fel- 
low greeting  at  times ;  but  in  your  inmost  heart,  re- 
garding them  as  maskwearers,  you  entertain  a  very 
proper  and  profound  contempt  for  them.  You  know 
they  are  salt  that  has  "  lost  its  savor  and  is  good  for 
nothing  but  to  be  cast  out  and  trodden  under  foot  of 
men." 

II.  Then  there  are  the  Medium  Christians,  who 
make  a  profession,  but  compromise  their  practice 
of  it. 

These  give  the  impression  that  they  are  trying  to 
get  to  heaven  with  as  little  outlay  of  energy  as  pos- 
sible. They  are  not  "  out-and-outers  "  in  anything ; 
but,  like  Redwald,  the  Saxon,  whose  motto  was  In 
utramque  paratus,  they  face  both  ways. 

If  you  ask  them  what  they  believe,  they  will  offer 
you  a  creed  which  is  made  up  of  personal  opinions. 
They  read  the  last  book  on  Theology,  and  accept  its 
conclusions,  if  agreeable  to  their  own  prejudgments, 
without  a  thought  apparently  of  what  Christ  would 
have  to  say  in  the  premises.  Of  course  you  under- 
stand this  is  quite  inconsistent  with  a  true  profession 
of  Christ,  since  those  who  follow  him  as  his  disciples 
are  bound  to  learn   from   him. 

And  their  conduct  is  regulated  by  public  opinion 


228  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

rather  than  by  any  prescript  of  Christ.  In  order  to 
determine  any  question  of  duty  they  go  not  to  the 
Law  and  the  Testimony,  but  to  the  prevailing  fashion ; 
and  the  determining  factor  in  the  problem  is  "  Every- 
body does  it."  This  also  is  manifestly  inconsistent 
with  the  profession  of  a  Christian  life ;  since  one  who 
follows  Christ  as  his  King  must  pursue  the  line  of 
conduct  marked  out  for  him,  without  any  reference 
to  what  others  think  about  it. 

And  the  part  taken  by  this  class  of  Christians  in 
the  service  of  the  kingdom  is  wholly  a  perfunctory 
one.  It  consists  in  attending  church,  partaking  of 
the  sacrament  and  going  through  with  the  conven- 
tional routine  in  the  usual  way.  As  for  being  co- 
laborers  with  Christ  in  the  saving  of  the  world,  that 
does  not  seem  to  occur  to  them.  They  take  no  ap- 
parent interest  in  the  welfare  of  souls.  They  sing, 
"  Go  Forward,  Christian  Soldiers ! "  and  "  Must 
Jesus  bear  the  Cross  alone  ?  "  with  great  gusto,  but 
there  is  practically  nothing  in  it. 

Are  they  to  be  saved?  Well,  it  is  not  for  us  to  set 
bounds  and  limits  to  the  divine  mercy.  We  can  say, 
however,  that  they  are  skating  on  thin  ice  and  the 
danger  signal  is  up.  If  they  are  saved,  it  will  be  as 
Lot  was  saved  when  he  escaped  from  burning  Sodom 
to  the  little  village  of  Zoar.  They  will  enter  heaven 
"  so  as  by  fire."  And  heaven  will  not  be  to  them  what 
it  will  be  to  others  who,  by  serving  their  apprentice- 
ship here,  have  prepared  themselves  for  promotion  to 
higher  service  there. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  think  that  heaven  is  the  same  to 
all.  A  penny  is  one  thing  to  a  multimillionaire 
and  quite  another  to  his  bootblack.   So  heaven  will  be, 


PROFESSION    AND    PRACTICE        229 

to  those  who  have  put  out  their  talents  at  usury,  an 
opportunity  of  "  ruling  over  ten  cities " ;  while  to 
others  it  will  bring-  little  or  no  promotion,  because 
they  have  neither  deserved  nor  qualified  themselves 
for  it. 

The  entrance  to  heaven  is  by  divine  grace,  but 
the  measure  of  its  joy  depends  on  what  we  make 
of  ourselves  here  and  now.  I  read  the  other  day  of 
an  old  man  dying  at  seventy-five  who  had  been  an 
errand  boy  in  one  of  our  mercantile  establishments 
for  a  period  of  sixty-four  years.  Alas  for  the  man 
who  is  satisfied  to  live  an  ambitionless  life,  or  con- 
tent to  look  forward  to  a  low  place  of  service  in  the 
kingdom  of  God ! 

III.  It  still  remains  to  speak  of  the  third  class,  the 
Maximum  Christians. 

You  know  there  are  such  Christians,  for  you  have 
seen  them.  Your  mother,  perhaps,  was  one.  And, 
thank  God,  there  are  many;  enough  to  illustrate  the 
power  of  the  gospel  to  make  character.  You  respect 
them ;  and  you  reverence  the  gospel  because  they 
show  what  it  can  do. 

They  take  their  belief  from  the  teachings  of  Christ. 
Their  creed  is  just  as  liberal  as  his  was,  no  less,  no 
more.  They  see  him  drawing  lines  between  God  and 
Mammon,  between  "  the  sheep  and  the  goats,"  be- 
tween Dives  and  Lazarus,  between  the  world  and  the 
Church,  between  his  followers  and  those  who  reject 
him,  between  the  saved  and  the  lost;  and  they  are 
obliged  to  draw  the  same  lines  whether  they  like  them 
or  not.  They  want  to  be  liberal  and  tolerant,  and  all 
that:  but  they  cannot  be  any  more  tolerant  or  liberal 
than  their  Master  was.    And  in  thus  living  up  to  their 


230  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

name,  they  commend  themselves  to  your  moral  sense; 
you  know  it  is  the  honest  thing  to  do. 

In  their  manner  of  life  they  adhere  as  closely  as 
possible  to  the  requirements  of  the  Ten  Command- 
ments and  the  Golden  Rule.  The  things  which  would 
be  offensive  to  Christ  they  put  off;  and  they  put  on 
the  graces  of  his  character.  Their  rule  is  that  of 
exact  obedience.  This  is  not  to  say  that  they  do  not 
often  offend  and  come  short ;  they  themselves  would 
be  the  very  last  to  profess  perfection.  But  one  thing 
they  do,  they  put  up  a  brave  fight  for  what  they  be- 
lieve to  be  true  and  right.  They  go  out  full  panoplied 
and  resolute  against  their  besetting  sins.  Now  and 
then  you  have  seen  a  man,  like  Jerry  McAuley,  who 
has  come  up  out  of  the  slums  and  set  himself  to  the 
task  of  getting  the  better  of  his  meaner  self  and  his 
old  way  of  living.  Down  he  went  once  and  again, 
but  never  was  vanquished.  Up  again  and  at  it !  They 
talk  about  the  martyrs ;  but  what  was  their  courage  to 
that  of  such  men?  A  flash  of  the  axe,  the  brief  tor- 
ture of  the  flames,  and  all  was  over.  But  these  go 
through  a  long  campaign  of  battles  and  win  out. 
You  reverence  and  envy  such  courage  as  theirs.  You 
cannot  help  it. 

Still  further,  such  Christians  take  an  active  part  in 
the  service  of  Christ.  It  is  not  enough  for  them  to 
build  character  for  themselves ;  they  do  their  utmost 
to  save  the  fallen  and  bring  the  wandering  back  to 
God.  They  lend  a  hand  to  every  Christian  enterprise 
and  send  up  their  prayers  for  all  faithful  servants 
who  thrust  their  sickles  into  God's  great  harvest. 
And  this  they  do  because  they  have  heard  their  Mas- 
ter say  three  things :  first,  "  The  Son  of  Man  is  come 


PROFESSION    AND    PRACTICE        231 

to  seek  and  save  the  lost " ;  second,  "  As  the  Father 
hath  sent  me,  so  send  I  you  " ;  third,  "  Go."  "  Go 
down  to  thy  house  and  tell  what  great  things  the 
Lord  hath  done  for  thee."  Go  to  Bethesda  and 
minister  to  the  cripples  in  the  porches  there.  Go  to 
Gaza,  which  is  desert.  "  Go  out  into  the  highways 
and  hedges."  Go  teach  the  children  in  the  slums. 
Go  to  church  when  the  bell  rings.  Go  to  your  house- 
hold tasks  with  joy.  "  Go  speak  to  that  young  man." 
It  is  enough.  His  word  of  command  is  ultimate. 
They  obey,  as  Jeremy  Taylor  says,  "  without  sciscita- 
tion  " ;  that  is,  asking  no  questions  and  interposing 
no  objections.     They  rejoice  to  do  his  will. 

What  do  you  think  of  such  church  members?  Are 
they  to  be  saved,  or  not?  Ah,  you  know  that  if 
heaven  has  any  gates,  they  will  fly  open  to  these.  If 
God  has  any  mercy,  it  will  embrace  them.  You  may 
call  them  "  bigots,"  because  they  believe  precisely 
what  their  Lord  says.  You  may  call  them  "  Puri- 
tans," because  they  live  exactly  as  he  requires  them 
to  live.  You  may  call  them  "  fanatics,"  because  they 
run  at  his  nod  and  beck.  But  you  believe  in  them; 
and  you  believe  in  the  sort  of  religion  which  they 
represent;  and  in  your  inmost  hearts  you  know 
that  you  would  do  wisely  to  possess  yourselves 
of  it. 

Now  that  I  have  preached  a  sermon  for  you  who 
are  in  the  habit  of  criticising  members  of  the  church, 
I  am  sure  you  will  not  resent  it  if  I  address  a  few 
personal  words  to  you.  If  I  have  fairly  represented 
your  feeling  in  this  matter,  then  you  have  gone  so 
far  that,  in  all  reasonableness  and  honest  logic,  you 
are  bound  to  go  a  little  further  with  me. 


232  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

First,  then,  you  have  made  it  appear  that  you  enter- 
tain a  high  conception  of  the  Christian  life. 

Alexander  Pope  said,  "  A  Christian  is  the  highest 
style  of  man " ;  Adoniram  Judson,  "  A  Christian  is 
Jesus  Christ's  man  " ;  Paul,  "  As  many  as  are  led  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  these  are  sons  of  God  " ;  and  Christ 
himself,  "  Ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  do  whatsoever 
I  command  you."  You  accept  these  definitions  and 
know  precisely  what  a  Christian  ought  to  be. 

You  know,  secondly,  that  "  other  men's  failures  will 
never  save  you." 

For  obvious  reasons  you  may  take  comfort  in  the 
fact  that  a  considerable  number  of  those  who  profess 
to  be  Christians  are  not  living  as  they  ought  to.  But 
in  the  Judgment  that  will  be  a  matter  of  slight  con- 
sequence to  you.  The  Lord  will  say,  "  I  died  for  you, 
made  known  to  you  the  gospel  of  my  grace,  admon- 
ished you  that  the  one  condition  of  eternal  life  was 
faith  in  myself  as  your  Saviour  from  sin,  warned  you 
with  all  possible  earnestness  that  life  was  probationary 
and  that  death  would  crystallize  your  character  for- 
ever, and  exhorted  you  again  and  again  to  repent, 
believe  and  enter  in  life ;  what  now  have  you  to  say 
for  yourself?"  I  beg  you  to  consider  what  sort  of 
an  exhibition  you  would  make  if,  in  answer  to  that 
question,  you  were  to  point  your  finger  at  John  Doe 
or  Richard  Roe  and  say,  "  Lord,  look  at  him !  " 

And,  thirdly,  you  have  paid  tribute  to  Christ  as  the 
Perfect  One. 

You  agree  with  the  judgment  of  Pilate  and  of  all 
history,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  him  at  all."  If  there  were 
not  a  single  consistent  follower  of  Christ  among  the 
hundreds  of  millions  who  profess  his  name,  it  would 


PROFESSION    AND    PRACTICE        233 

not  affect  the  fact  that  back  of  them  stands  this  Per- 
fect One,  chiefest  among  ten  thousand  and  altogether 
lovely,  able  and  willing  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all 
who  will  come  unto  him. 

Fourthly,  in  view  of  this  admission,  your  duty  is 
plain. 

By  your  own  acknowledgment  the  excuse  which 
you  make  for  inaction  is  a  mere  subterfuge.  You  are 
deceiving  yourself;  hiding  yourself  in  what  Isaiah 
calls  "  a  refuge  of  lies." 

And,  fifthly,  if  it  is  your  duty  to  accept  Christ  as 
your  Saviour  from  sin,  it  is  manifestly  wrong  not  to 
accept  him  here  and  now. 

By  successive  steps  you  have  come  into  the  im- 
mediate presence  of  Christ;  and  he  stands  before  you 
with  his  hands  stretched  out.  He  asks  an  immediate 
decision.  Not  to  decide,  is  to  decide  not.  The  end 
of  your  own  logic  is  absolute  and  immediate  surrender 
to  him. 

In  the  time  of  our  Civil  War  there  was  much  com- 
plaint on  the  part  of  those  who  remained  at  home 
because  the  progress  of  our  armies  was  so  slow.  The 
men  at  the  front  were  spending  weary  weeks  in  the 
Wilderness  and  in  the  trenches ;  while  the  carpet- 
knights  were  crying,  "  On  to  Richmond !  "  There 
was  scarcely  a  civilian  who  did  not  indulge  in  sweep- 
ing criticisms  on  the  conduct  of  the  war.  But  when 
the  troops  returned,  all  that  was  changed.  Many  of 
them  never  came  back,  their  bodies  resting  in  name- 
less graves;  but  when  the  decimated  regiments,  thin 
and  haggard,  tattered  and  torn,  went  marching 
through  the  village  streets,  the  Home  Guards  were 
silent  while  the  Boys  in  Blue  were  cheered  to  the  echo. 


234  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

How  will  it  be,  think  you,  when  the  strugglers  come 
up  to  heaven's  gate?  What  will  the  Civilians  have 
to  say  then?  It  were  better  to  be  a  high  private  in 
the  rear  rank,  one  arm  in  a  sling,  hobbling  on  a  crutch, 
wearing  a  torn  and  faded  uniform,  a  thousand  times 
better  than  never  to  have  been  in  the  service  at  all. 


XXII 

STUMBLING-BLOCKS 

In  which  he  has  somewhat  to  say  respecting  a  Stone  in  the 
Path. 

Jesus,  to  his  disciples  and  others:  "  Woe  unto  the 
world  because  of  occasions  of  stumbling!  for  it  must 
needs  be  that  the  occasions  come;  but  woe  to  that  man 
through  whom  the  occasion  cometh!  And  if  thy  hand 
or  thy  foot  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it 
from  thee:  it  is  good  for  thee  to  enter  into  life  maimed 
or  halt,  rather  than  having  two  hands  or  two  feet  to  be 
cast  into  the  eternal  tire.  And  if  thine  eye  causeth  thee 
to  stumble,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee:  it  is  good 
for  thee  to  enter  into  life  with  one  eye,  rather  than  hav- 
ing two  eyes  to  be  cast  into  the  hell  of  fire.  See  that 
ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones:  for  I  say  unto  you, 
that  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of 
my  Father  who  is  in  heaven." — Matt,  xviii,  7-1 1. 

The  occasion  of  our  Lord's  admonition,  "  Woe  unto 
the  world  because  of  offences,"  was  an  act  of  intoler- 
ance on  the  part  of  some  of  his  disciples,  who  came 
to  him  saying,  "  Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils 
in  thy  name,  and  he  followeth  not  us;  and  we  forbade 
him,  because  he  followeth  not  us."  And  Jesus  said, 
"  Forbid  him  not :  for  there  is  no  man  which  shall 
do  a  miracle  in  my  name,  that  can  lightly  speak  evil 
of  me."  He  then  proceeded  to  emphasize  the  impor- 
tance of  helping  and  not  hindering  those  who  are 
trying  to  do  good.  "  For  whosoever,"  he  said,  "  shall 
give  you  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  drink  in  my  name, 

235 


£36  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  not  lose  his  reward ; 
and  whosoever  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones, 
it  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck  and  he  were  cast  into  the  depth  of  the 
sea." 

The  word  here  rendered  "  offence  "  is  skandalon, 
which  we  have  in  our  English  words  scandal  and 
scandalize.  Its  literal  meaning  is  a  stumbling-block. 
Its  significance,  in  this  connection,  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  life  is  an  uphill  journey.  One  of  Christina  Ros- 
setti's  poems  begins  in  this  way :  "  Does  the  road 
wind  up  hill  all  the  way  ?  Yes,  to  the  very  end !  " 
If  that  be  so,  how  important  it  is  that  we  should  help 
and  not  hinder  those  who,  worn  and  weary  at  the 
best,  pursue  the  journey  of  life. 

"  It  must  needs  be  that  offences  come."  We  often- 
times do  harm  and  impede  the  wayfarer  without  in- 
tending it.  Influence  is  an  automatic  thing;  it  does 
not  ask  to  be  exerted,  it  exerts  itself.  No  man  liveth 
to  himself,  and,  alas !  no  man  dieth  to  himself.  It  is 
a  serious  thing  to  live,  because  our  lives  are  so  inex- 
tricably linked  with  other  lives.  We  are  like  Alpine 
climbers,  bound  to  one  another,  ever  helping  up  or 
dragging  down  those  who  journey  with  us. 

"  But  woe  to  him  by  whom  the  offence  cometh !  " 
Let  us  pause  a  moment  here,  lest  the  matter  be  pressed 
too  far.  You  may  offend  a  man's  vanity,  his  igno- 
rance or  his  prejudice;  which  is  not  a  bad  thing  to  do. 
Light  is  a  stumbling-block  to  darkness.  Truth  is  an 
offence  to  error.  It  is  written  of  Christ  himself  that 
he  was  "  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  a  rock  of  offence." 
His  preaching  was  so  full  of  "  hard  sayings  "  that  he 
was  moved  to  utter  the  caveat,  "  Blessed  is  he  that  is 


STUMBLING-BLOCKS  237 

not  offended  in  me."  His  manner  of  life  gave  con- 
stant offence  to  the  bigotry  and  self-righteousness  of 
his  enemies.  He  made  no  apology  for  his  disciples 
when  the  Pharisees  took  umbrage  at  their  plucking 
the  wheat  as  they  walked  through  the  fields  on  the 
Holy  Day.  His  cross  is  a  perpetual  occasion  of 
offence  to  the  ungodly.  It  is  written,  "  We  preach 
Christ  crucified;  to  the  Greeks  foolishness  and  to  the 
Jews  a  stumbling-block;  but  to  them  that  are  saved, 
both  Jews  and  Greeks,  the  wisdom  and  power  of 
God." 

We  conclude  that  it  is  no  sin,  but  rather  a  virtue, 
to  offend  the  evil  propensities  of  human  nature.  The 
sin  lies  in  offending  what  is  right  and  noble  and  divine 
in  every  man.  For  no  one  is  so  abandoned  that  he 
has  not  scruples  and  compunctions  of  conscience  and 
longings  for  that  which  is  highest  and  best.  See  that 
ye  offend  not  those!  It  was  with  this  moral  sense  of 
humanity  in  mind  that  Paul  said,  with  reference  to 
the  meats  which  had  been  offered  on  the  idol-altars 
of  Corinth,  "  If  meat  make  my  brother  to  offend,  I 
will  eat  no  meat  while  the  world  standeth."  Had 
this  abstinence  involved  the  sacrifice  of  any  moral 
principle  on  the  part  of  the  apostle,  it  would  have 
been  manifestly  wrong  in  him  to  consent  to  it ;  but 
inasmuch  as  his  own  conscience  was  not  pained  by 
the  sacrifice,  while  the  weak  consciences  of  the  Chris- 
tians of  Corinth  would  have  been  grievously  offended 
by  his  indulgence,  he  assumed  an  attitude  of  noble 
self-denial  in  protesting  thus  that  he  was  willing  to 
do  all,  suffer  all,  surrender  all,  in  their  behalf.  To 
persist  in  any  procedure  which  is  wrong  in  itself,  or 
which,  while  indifferent  per  se,  gives  offence  to  the 


238  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

weak  consciences  of  others,  is  to  antagonize  the  spirit 
of  Christ.  Wilfully,  deliberately,  persistently  to  do 
that  which  offends  the  sense  of  righteousness  or  hin- 
ders the  spiritual  weal  of  any,  is  to  part  company  with 
him  who  "  emptied  himself  "  in  the  behalf  of  men. 
It  is  the  part  of  those  who  follow  Him  to  lend  a  hand 
to  everyone  that  is  toiling  up  the  steep  way.  As  for 
him  who  deliberately  gives  occasion  of  stumbling, 
"  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck  and  he  were  thrown  into  the  depths 
of  the  sea." 

/.  A  Man  may  be  an  Offence  to  Himself;  that  is, 
he  may  lay  stumbling-blocks  in  his  own  path. 

A  quick  temper,  a  prejudice  against  truth  or  sound 
morals,  an  evil  habit  of  any  sort,  may  be  the  obstacle 
in  a  man's  progress  toward  the  higher  life.  He  may 
thus  "  stand  in  his  own  light "  and  be  "  his  own  worst 
enemy."  It  is  such  offences  that  the  Lord  had  in 
mind  when  he  said,  "  If  thine  eye  offend  thee,  pluck 
it  out."  The  eye  of  Eve  offended  her  when  she 
looked  upon  the  fruit  of  the  tree  and  "  saw  that  it  was 
good."  The  eye  of  Achan  offended  him  when  he 
looked  on  the  golden  wedge  and  coveted  it.  The  eye 
of  Lot  offended  him  when,  seeing  that  the  Valley  of 
Jordan  "  was  well-watered,"  he  proceeded  to  pitch 
his  tent  toward  Sodom.  If  thou  hast  an  envious  eye, 
a  wandering  eye,  a  lascivious  eye,  pluck  it  out  and 
cast  it  from  thee ;  it  were  better  for  thee  to  go  blind 
through  life,  than  having  two  eyes  to  be  cast  into  the 
fire  of  hell. 

And  the  Lord  continued,  "  If  thy  right  hand  offend 
thee,  cut  it  off."  The  hand  of  Adam  offended  him 
when  he  took  of  the  forbidden  fruit  and  ate  it.     The 


STUMBLING-BLOCKS  239 

hand  of  Judas  offended  him  when  he  clutched  the 
price  of  treachery.  The  hand  of  Cranmer  offended 
him  when  he  signed  the  recantation  of  his  faith. 
"  Burn,  thou  unworthy  hand !  "  he  cried,  as  the  flames 
of  martyrdom  curled  about  him ;  "  burn  thou  un- 
worthy hand  that  didst  betray  me ! "  This  was  in 
pursuance  of  the  teaching  of  Jesus :  "  It  is  better  for 
thee  to  enter  into  life  with  one  hand,  than,  having  two 
hands,  to  be  cast  into  the  fire  of  hell."  Wherefore  let 
no  man  place  stones  of  stumbling  in  his  own  path, 
but  rather  "  lay  aside  every  weight  and  the  sin  which 
doth  so  easily  beset  him,  that  he  may  run  with  pa- 
tience the  race  that  is  set  before  him." 

II.  The  Follozvers  of  Christ  may  Offend  those  who 
are  Without  the  Church. 

Christians  are  a  watched  people.  They  are  "  com- 
passed by  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses."  The  galleries 
are  full  of  those  who  scrutinize  their  walk  and  con- 
versation ;  wherefore,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  they  should  live  circumspectly,  lest  they  inad- 
vertently mislead  others. 

They  may  do  this  by  an  assumption  of  overmuch 
righteousness. 

It  is  a  serious  mistake  to  give  the  impression  that 
the  Christian  life  is  a  monotonous  routine  of  cross- 
bearing.  To  follow  Christ  is,  indeed,  a  serious  mat- 
ter; but  it  is  also  the  most  delightsome  thing  in  the 
world.  "  At  his  right  hand  are  pleasures  forever- 
more."  To  serve  him  consistently  is  to  enter  into  the 
peace  which  passeth  all  understanding. 

Our  Lord  rebuked  the  Pharisees  for  "  binding 
heavy  burdens  and  grievous  to  be  borne,"  for  making 
the  Sabbath  intolerable  by  unnecessary  exactions  and 


240  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

for  frowning  upon  innocent  pleasure.  A  similar 
charge  is  made  against  the  Puritans  by  one  of  our 
historians,  who  says,  "  The  Puritans  hated  bear-bait- 
ing, not  because  it  gave  pain  to  the  bear,  but  because 
it  gave  pleasure  to  the  spectators."  All  this  is  con- 
trary to  the  spirit  of  Christ,  who,  at  the  marriage  in 
Cana,  turned  the  water  into  wine  as  if  to  indicate 
the  blessed  transformation  of  duty  into  pleasure  which 
comes  to  all  who  rightly  apprehend  his  interpretation 
of  life.  If  God  is  our  Father,  if  Christ  has  suffered 
for  our  salvation,  if  by  faith  we  have  entered  into  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God,  why  should  we 
not  make  merry  and  rejoice  in  him?  Tasks  there  are, 
great  duties  and  heavy  responsibilities;  nevertheless 
his  yoke  is  easy  and  his  burden  is  light. 

Christians  not  infrequently  give  Offence,  also,  by 
their  Inconsistency. 

It  is  rumored  that  there  are  some  whose  names 
are  on  the  church-roll  in  good  and  regular  standing 
who  do  not  pay  their  honest  debts ;  some  who  are  not 
strictly  honest  in  business  transactions;  some  whose 
word  is  not  above  question ;  some  who  obliterate  the 
deep-drawn  lines  which  separate  between  the  world 
and  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  My  brethren,  these  things 
ought  not  so  to  be.  In  the  reproof  which  Nathan 
addressed  to  David  in  the  matter  of  Bathsheba  he 
said,  "  By  this  deed  thou  hast  given  great  occasion  to 
the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme."  In  a  like  re- 
proof which  Paul  addressed  to  the  Roman  Christians 
he  says,  "  Thou  therefore  which  teachest  another, 
teachest  thou  not  thyself?  Thou  that  preachest  that 
a  man  should  not  steal,  dost  thou  steal?  Thou  that 
sayest  a  man  should  not  commit  adultery,  dost  thou 


STUMBLING-BLOCKS  241 

commit  adultery?  Thou  that  abhorrest  idols,  dost 
thou  commit  sacrilege?  Thou  that  makest  thy  boast 
of  the  law,  through  breaking  of  the  law  dishonorest 
thou  God?  For  the  name  of  God  is  blasphemed 
among  the  Gentiles  through  you." 

And  Christians  offend,  also,  by  their  apparent  In- 
difference to  the  Danger  of  those  who  Continue  in 
Sin. 

They  profess  to  believe  that  the  impenitent  are  un- 
der the  doom  of  spiritual  and  eternal  death ;  yet  how 
often  they  utter  no  word  of  warning  and  lift  no  hand 
to  rescue  the  perishing.  The  natural  inference  on  the 
part  of  their  unconverted  friends  is  that  they  do  not 
really  believe  in  the  teaching  of  their  Master  as  to  the 
inevitable  consequences  of  persistence  in  sin.  It  was 
only  yesterday  that  in  this  city  a  fireman  climbed  to 
the  roof  of  a  burning  building  and  let  himself  down 
at  peril  of  his  life  to  save  a  woman  who  was  clinging 
to  the  cornice  and  crying  for  help.  If  Christians 
mean  what  they  say,  such  heroism  as  that  should  be 
common  among  them.  But  when  they  refrain  not 
only  from  strenuous  effort,  but  even  from  uttering 
words  of  warning  and  entreaty,  they  place  a  stone  of 
stumbling  in  the  path  of  the  impenitent  as  really  as 
if  they  lifted  up  their  voices  to  say,  "  Peace,  peace ! " 
when  there  is  no  peace. 

Nevertheless,  when  all  is  said  with  reference  to 
Christian  inconsistency,  it  remains  that  the  impeni- 
tent are  wholly  without  excuse;  since  the  true  exam- 
ple of  godliness  is  to  be  found  not  in  Christians,  but 
in  Christ  himself.  We  do  not  set  ourselves  up  as 
exemplars ;  but  only  as  strugglers,  doing  our  best, 
and  quite  imperfectly,  to  attain  to  a  holy  life.     But 


242  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

back  of  the  church  and  back  of  all  fallible  believers 
stands  the  Perfect  One.  The  reasonable  course  is  not 
to  look  askance  at  our  broken  lives,  but  rather  to  gaze 
on  him  in  whose  life  and  character  there  was  no 
guile.  So  long  as  Titian  copied  the  works  of  Bellini 
and  of  Giorgione  he  was  but  an  indifferent  artist ; 
but  when  he  gave  up  the  imitative  method  and  went 
out  to  study  nature  itself,  the  fields  and  mountains, 
the  sunsets  and  floating  clouds,  he  made  himself  im- 
mortal. Why  should  thinking  people  turn  their  eyes 
on  men  whose  breath  is  in  their  nostrils  when  the 
Truth  incarnate  is  before  them?  Ecce  Homo!  In 
Christ  are  all  the  graces  of  character  and  of  the 
nobler  life.  Look  to  Jesus,  chiefest  among  ten  thou- 
sand and  altogether  lovely! 

777.  Those  who  do  Not  Believe  in  Christ  are  in 
constant  danger  of  Offending  his  Little  Ones. 

So  much  is  said  about  the  inconsistencies  of  Chris- 
tians that  we  are  likely  to  overlook  this  side  of  the 
matter.  Yet  here  was  the  special  reference  of  Christ: 
"  Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offences,"  that  is,  the 
stumbling-block  which  the  world  is  ever  placing  be- 
fore the  feet  of  the  weak  and  impressible,  the  un- 
sophisticated and  unsuspicious.  How  tenderly  and 
graciously  he  refers  to  them  as  his  "  little  ones."  He 
is  very  jealous  of  them  and  will  not  suffer  them  to 
be  wronged  with  impunity.  "  Woe  to  him  that 
offendeth  them!  It  were  better  for  him  that  a  mill- 
stone were  hanged  about  his  neck  and  he  were  thrown 
into  the  midst  of  the  sea,  than  that  he  should  offend 
one  of  my  little  ones." 

At  the  time  when  this  admonition  was  given,  the 
infant  Church  was  just    beginning    to    suffer    from 


STUMBLING-BLOCKS  243 

grievous  persecution.  Thanks  to  the  influence  of 
Christian  civilization  the  era  of  sword  and  faggot  has 
passed  by.  But  those  who  inquire  the  way  to  Bethle- 
hem must  still  face  the  finger  of  derision.  In  the  case 
of  many  a  man  it  requires  more  courage  to  stand 
before  a  burst  of  laughter  than  to  march  to  battle  in 
the  face  of  an  advancing  foe. 

The  false  teacher  has  much  to  answer  for.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  say,  "  I  do  not  believe  in  God " ; 
simply  live  as  if  there  were  no  God  and  your  lesson 
is  taught.  You  need  not  say,  "  I  have  no  faith  in 
prayer,"  or  "  I  doubt  the  inspiration  of  the  Scrip- 
tures " ;  refrain  from  prayer  and  from  reading  your 
Bible,  and  others  will  take  knowledge  of  it.  You 
need  not  join  the  multitude  who  lead  Christ  to  Cal- 
vary with  shouts  of  "  Crucify  him !  Crucify  him !  " 
Hold  yourself  aloof  from  those  who  accept  him  as 
their  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  your  attitude  will  be 
perfectly  clear.  It  is  not  necessary  for  one  who 
would  destroy  his  neighbor's  garden  to  break  through 
and  tear  up  the  fragrant  plants;  let  him  merely  toss 
a  handful  of  thistle-seed  aloft  and  the  wind  will  do 
the  rest. 

In  any  case,  the  force  of  silent  example  is  a  savor 
of  life  unto  life  or  of  death  unto  death.  A  farmer  on 
his  way  from  the  house  to  the  stable  on  a  snowy 
morning  hears  a  voice  behind  him  calling,  "  I'm  com- 
ing right  along,  Papa,"  and  looking  back  he  sees  his 
little  son  lifting  his  feet  and  carefully  planting  them 
in  his  footprints.  Thus,  no  man  liveth  unto  himself. 
Our  children,  our  friends  and  neighbors,  are  coming 
"  right  along  after  us."  See,  therefore,  that  ye  offend 
them  not.     A  man  may  be  willing  to  take  his  own 


244  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

chances  in  denying  truth  and  living  an  unholy  life, 
but  let  him  ponder  well  the  fact  that  he  is  the  centre 
of  a  coterie ;  that  he  is  living  or  dying  for  others ; 
that  his  children's  children  are  coming  after  him. 

But  there  is  a  positive  side  to  all  this.  If  by  virtue 
of  the  silent,  tremendous,  self-propagating  power  of 
influence  we  are  ever  in  danger  of  injuring  others,  by 
the  same  token  we  may  be  constantly  doing  good.  It 
is  for  me  to  say  whether  my  hand  shall  lay  the  stone 
in  the  path  or  be  stretched  forth  to  help.  Blessed  be 
God,  there  are  multitudes  of  people  who  are  uncon- 
sciously making  their  lives  a  blessing  to  all. 

In  our  Museum  of  Art  there  is  a  picture  by  Gabriel 
Max  called  "  The  Last  Token."  A  maiden  stands  in 
the  arena,  awaiting  death  for  her  devotion  to  Christ. 
On  her  left  is  a  group  of  lions  sated  with  flesh  and 
unconcerned;  on  her  right  a  ravenous  beast  with  eyes 
aflame  is  just  issuing  from  its  cage.  The  galleries  are 
filled  with  eager  spectators.  At  the  feet  of  the  young 
martyr  a  rose  has  fallen  from  above.  She  stands  with 
her  hand  upon  a  pillar,  and  her  eyes,  soon  to  be  closed 
on  earthly  scenes,  lifted  to  the  balconies.  They  are 
searching  for  the  hand  that  has  dropped  this  token  of 
kindness  at  her  feet.  Thank  God,  such  simple  deeds 
are  possible  to  all. 

There  are  many  about  us  whose  temptations  are 
greater  than  they  can  bear  and  whose  burdens  are 
breaking  their  hearts.  Friends,  lend  a  hand!  Put 
yourselves  into  a  position  where  your  influence  will 
tell.  Come  over  on  the  Lord's  side  and  follow  him,  of 
whom  it  is  written,  "  He  went  about  doing  good." 
Bind  up  the  wounds  of  the  man  who  has  fallen  on  the 
Bloody  Way ;  put  the  cup  of  cold  water  to  thirsty  lips ; 


STUMBLING-BLOCKS  245 

speak  the  word  in  due  season,  which  is  like  apples  of 
gold  in  pitchers  of  silver.  Live  so  well  that  you  shall 
be  blessing  others,  oftentimes  without  knowing  it. 

O  the  world  is  full  of  sighs, 
Full  of  sad  and  weepings  eyes ; 
Help  your  fallen  brother  rise, 
While  the  days  are  going  by! 


XXIII 

THE    MISTAKES    OF    A    PHARISEE 

In  which  he  puts  a  Respectable  Gentleman  to  shame  in  the 
presence  of  a  Woman  of  the  Town. 

And  one  of  the  Pharisees  desired  him  that  he  would 
eat  with  him.  And  he  entered  into  the  Pharisee's  house, 
and  sat  down  to  meat.  And  behold,  a  woman  who  was 
in  the  city,  a  sinner;  and  when  she  knew  that  he  was 
sitting  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house,  she  brought  an 
alabaster  cruse  of  ointment,  and  standing  behind  at  his 
feet,  weeping,  she  began  to  wet  his  feet  with  her  tears, 
and  wiped  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head,  and  kissed 
his  feet,  and  anointed  them  with  the  ointment. 

The  Pharisee,  within  himself:  "  This  man,  if  he  were 
a  prophet,  would  have  perceived  who  and  what  manner 
of  woman  this  is  that  toucheth  him,  that  she  is  a  sinner." 

Jesus:     "Simon,  I  have  somewhat  to  say  unto  thee." 

The  Pharisee:    "Teacher,  say  on." 

Jesus:  "A  certain  lender  had  two  debtors:  the  one 
owed  five  hundred  shillings,  the  other  fifty.  When  they 
had  not  wherewith  to  pay,  he  forgave  them  both.  Which 
of  them,  therefore,  will  love  him  most?" 

The  Pharisee:  "He,  I  suppose,  to  whom  he  forgave 
the  most." 

Jesus:    "  Thou  hast  rightly  judged." — Luke  vii,  36-50. 

The  scene  is  in  the  home  of  a  Jewish  gentleman  at 
Nain.  He  is  entertaining  a  company  of  friends  at 
dinner ;  and  Jesus  is  among  them.  His  invitation  was 
due,  in  all  likelihood,  to  the  prevailing  interest  in  his 
Messianic  claims.  The  host,  as  a  loyal  Jew,  shared  in 
the  general  expectancy  of  the  coming  of  One  "  whom 

246 


THE    MISTAKES    OF    A    PHARISEE       247 

kings  and  prophets  longed  to  see,  and  died  without 
the  sight."  Jesus  had  been  heralded  as  the  Messiah, 
and  his  own  averment  was  positive  and  unequivocal: 
"  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he."  Nor  was  this  claim 
without  distinctive  and  singular  proofs.  On  the  one 
hand,  he  displayed  a  pre-eminent  insight  into  the 
spiritual  mysteries  and  a  supreme  mastery  in  the  art 
of  presenting  them  to  the  average  man.  During  his 
itinerary  among  the  towns  and  villages  of  Galilee  the 
people  had  flocked  in  multitudes  to  hear  him ;  and  they 
were  agreed  in  their  judgment  that  never  man  spake 
like  this  man.  On  the  other  hand  he  had  buttressed 
his  position  as  an  aspirant  to  Messianic  honors  by 
many  wonderful  works  of  healing. 

It  was  but  yesterday  that  he  came  to  Nain,  though 
his  fame  had  preceded  him.  At  the  entrance  of  the 
town  he  wrought  a  miracle  which  was  the  current 
theme  of  conversation.  A  young  man  was  being  car- 
ried to  his  burial,  of  whom  it  is  written,  "  He  was 
the  only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow." 
Life  and  death  met  face  to  face  in  the  gateway.  Jesus, 
seeing  the  woman  bowed  under  the  burden  of  her 
grief,  had  compassion  upon  her.  He  approached  the 
bier  and  said  with  quiet  authority,  "  Young  man,  I  say 
unto  thee,  Arise  1 "  whereupon  the  dead  returned  to 
life.  And  Jesus  "  delivered  him  to  his  mother."  It 
was  a  miracle  so  manifest,  so  stupendous,  that  all  who 
saw  it  glorified  God,  saying,  "  A  great  prophet  is  risen 
among  us !  " 

Simon  the  Pharisee  must  have  heard  of  this  occur- 
rence, and  had  been  impressed  no  doubt  by  the 
supernatural  wisdom  and  power  which  it  evinced; 
but  he  belonged  to  a  class  of  Jews  who,  as  yet,  were 


248  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

holding  their  decision  in  abeyance  concerning-  Jesus. 
He  cherished  "  the  Hope  of  Israel  " ;  his  mind,  as  he 
supposed,  was  open  to  conviction;  and  it  was  prob- 
ably for  the  purpose  of  resolving  his  uncertainty  that 
he  had  invited  the  Nazarene  Prophet  to  his  hospitable 
board. 

In  the  course  of  the  dinner  an  incident  occurred 
which  precipitated  his  decision.  The  guests  were  re- 
clining on  couches  about  the  table,  according  to  cus- 
tom, and  their  eyes  were  fastened  on  Jesus  while  he 
discoursed  on  things  pertaining  to  the  spiritual  life. 
The  contrast  between  the  Pharisee  and  his  plebeian 
guest  must  have  been  striking :  the  former  was  arrayed 
in  a  long  robe  with  wide  fringes,  phylacteries  on  his 
forearm  and  a  frontlet  between  his  eyes  on  which  was 
written,  "  Hear,  O  Israel,  The  Lord  our  God  is  one 
Lord !  "  while  the  latter  wore  homespun,  quite  out  of 
keeping  with  the  sumptuous  surroundings  of  this  ele- 
gant home.  Yet  he  was  the  observed  of  all  observers, 
as  in  simple  words  he  opened  up  the  mysteries  of 
truth. 

In  the  midst  of  his  discourse  a  woman  entered  the 
open  courtyard  and  slowly  climbed  the  veranda  steps, 
as  if  under  the  burden  of  some  heavy  grief.  She 
passed  through  the  open  doors  into  the  triclinium, 
and  making  her  way  to  the  couch  on  which  Jesus  re- 
clined, drew  from  her  bosom  an  alabaster  box  of  oint- 
ment, with  which  she  anointed  his  feet,  weeping  mean- 
while, and  wiping  his  feet  with  her  loosened  hair. 

It  was  little  wonder  that  Simon  and  his  guests  were 
shocked  at  this  proceeding,  not  only  because  all  pub- 
lic intercourse  between  the  sexes  was  proscribed  under 
Jewish  custom,  but  because  the  woman  was  notorious. 


THE    MISTAKES    OF    A    PHARISEE      249 

Such  effrontery  as  this — in  broad  daylight — at  a  ban- 
quet— the  like  was  never  seen !  Simon  was  amazed 
that  Jesus  apparently  did  not  know  the  character  of 
this  woman,  did  not  know  that  her  very  name  was  a 
hissing  and  a  byword.  He  was  indignant  that  such  a 
violation  of  the  proprieties  should  have  occurred  in  his 
respectable  home;  and  was  shocked  beyond  measure 
that  one  reputed  to  be  a  prophet  should  accept  in  si- 
lence the  touch  of  her  polluted  hands  and  the  blister- 
ing baptism  of  her  guilty  tears.  The  question  of  the 
Messiahship  of  Jesus  was,  to  his  mind,  settled  then 
and  there.  "  It  could  not  be,"  said  Simon  within  him- 
self, "  that  one  who  fellowshipped  with  sinners  in 
this  manner  was  the  Christ  of  God." 

And  Jesus,  knowing  his  thought,  answered  it  on 
this  wise :  "  Simon,  I  have  somewhat  to  say  unto 
thee." — "  Rabbi,  say  on." — "  There  was  a  certain 
creditor  which  had  two  debtors;  the  one  owed  five 
hundred  pence,  the  other  fifty;  and  when  they  had 
nothing  to  pay,  he  frankly  forgave  them  both.  Tell 
me,  therefore,  which  of  them  will  love  him  most  ?  " — 
In  a  tone  of  mingled  contempt  and  indifference, 
Simon  said,  "  I  suppose  he  to  whom  he  forgave  most." 
To  which  Jesus  answered,  "  Thou  hast  rightly 
judged."  Then,  turning  to  the  woman,  he  continued, 
"  Simon,  sees't  thou  this  woman  ?  I  entered  into  thy 
house;  thou  gavest  me  no  water  for  my  feet  (the 
ordinary  courtesy  of  hospitality),  but  she  hath  washed 
my  feet  with  tears  and  wiped  them  with  her  hair. 
Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss  (the  customary  salutation  of 
a  host)  ;  but  this  woman  has  not  ceased  to  kiss  my 
feet.  My  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint ;  but  she 
hath  anointed  my  feet  with  ointment.     Therefore,  I 


250  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

say  unto  thee,  Her  sins  which  are  many  are  forgiven ; 
for  she  hath  loved  much."  Then  to  the  woman  he 
said,  "  Thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee."  Whereupon  the 
guests  began  to  murmur  within  themselves,  saying, 
"  Who  is  this  that  forgiveth  sins,  also  ?  "  But  giving 
no  heed,  he  said  to  the  woman,  "  Thy  faith  hath 
saved  thee;  go  in  peace." 

A  strong  light  is  here  thrown  upon  the  inner  life 
and  character  of  Simon.  He  was  a  wise  man  in  his 
generation,  no  doubt;  but  he  was  so  moved  by  preju- 
dice as  to  be  quite  disabled  for  a  just  consideration 
and  determination  of  the  matter  in  hand. 

In  the  first  place,  Simon  was  totally  Mistaken  as  to 
Christ. 

At  the  moment  when  he  was  saying  within  himself, 
"  This  so-called  prophet  is  an  impostor,  else  he  would 
know  the  character  of  this  woman,"  the  eyes  of  Jesus 
were  searching  him  through  and  through. 

"  Shall  he  who  with  transcendent  skill 
Fashioned  the  eye  and  formed  the  ear, 
Who  moulded  nature  to  His  will, 
Shall  he  not  see,  shall  he  not  hear?" 

Oh,  those  eyes  of  the  Lord !  They  "  run  to  and  fro 
throughout  the  whole  earth,  beholding  the  evil  and 
the  good."  All  things  are  naked  and  open  before 
them.  A  man  once  undertook  to  escape  from  those 
eyes  and  left  his  experience  on  record  thus :  "  O  Lord, 
thou  hast  searched  me  and  known  me !  Thou  knowest 
my  downsitting  and  mine  uprising;  thou  understand- 
est  my  thought  afar  off!  Thou  compassest  my  path 
and  my  lying  down,  and  art  acquainted  with  all  my 
ways!     Whither  shall  I  go    from    thy    Spirit?     Or 


THE    MISTAKES    OF    A    PHARISEE       251 

whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence?  If  I  ascend 
up  into  heaven,  thou  art  there ;  if  I  make  my  bed  in 
hell,  behold,  thou  art  there !  If  I  take  the  wings  of 
the  morning  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
sea,  even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy  right 
hand  shall  hold  me !  If  I  say,  Surely  the  darkness 
shall  cover  me;  even  the  night  shall  be  light  about 
me.  Yea,  the  darkness  hideth  not  from  thee;  but  the 
night  shineth  as  the  day;  the  darkness  and  the  light 
are  both  alike  to  thee"  (Psalm  cxxxix). 

The  reason  why  Simon  supposed  that  Christ  did 
not  know  the  true  character  of  this  woman  was 
because  no  discrimination  was  made  against  her  on 
account  of  her  flagrant  sins.  His  thought  was  pre- 
cisely that  of  those  Pharisees  who,  on  another  occa- 
sion, brought  a  woman  of  like  repute  to  Jesus,  saying, 
"  Moses  in  the  law  requireth  that  such  as  she  shall 
be  stoned ;  but  what  sayest  thou  ?  "  And  what  did  he 
say  ?     "  Go  and  sin  no  more !  " 

In  his  heart  Simon  was  saying,  "  This  is  a  strange 
perversion  of  justice."  He  was  right,  so  far  forth  as 
wisdom  is  the  basis  of  justice.  But  it  was  because 
Christ  discriminated  so  wisely  that  he  pardoned  so 
utterly,  in  this  case.  We  personify  Justice  as  a 
woman  wearing  a  hoodwink  over  her  eyes,  with 
scales  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other.  Both 
the  scales  and  the  sword  are  in  the  hands  of  Jesus. 
He  weighs  the  thoughts  and  actions  of  men,  but,  on 
occasion,  arrests  the  uplifted  sword.  He  can  do  this 
consistently  with  justice,  because  Justice  is  satisfied 
by  his  vicarious  expiation  of  the  sinner's  sin.  It  is 
as  if  he  said  to  this  woman,  "  Be  of  good  cheer !  I 
know  the  horror  of  thy  past  life;  but,  behold,  I  bare 


252  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

my  shoulders  to  the  scourge  that  thou  mayest  be 
healed  by  my  stripes.  Wherefore,  thy  sins,  which  are 
many,  are  forgiven  thee." 

In  the  second  place  Simon  was  greatly  Mistaken  as 
to  this  Woman. 

He  was  right  in  thinking  her  to  be  a  great  sinner. 
This  was  matter  of  common  fame.  Was  she  not  "  a 
woman  of  the  town  "  ?  Nevertheless,  the  difference 
between  her  and  her  respectable  censor  was  not  a  vital 
one,  since  "  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God."  Sin  is  a  question  not  of  quality  nor 
of  quantity,  but  of  simple  fact.  It  is  true  there  are 
great  and  little  sins.  A  pirate  swinging  from  the 
yard-arm  is  a  greater  malefactor  than  a  pickpocket 
in  the  Tombs ;  but  both  are  alike  in  their  alienation 
from  God.  And  that  is  the  matter  of  vital  importance 
after  all.  Sin  is  "  trespass "  or  "  transgression." 
When  a  trespasser  has  once  leaped  God's  fence  it 
matters  little,  so  far  as  the  law  and  its  consequences 
are  concerned,  how  far  he  goes  afield.  The  essence 
of  sin  is  lese-majeste,  whether  the  sinner  be  captain 
in  command  of  the  rebel  troop  or  a  mere  private  in 
the  ranks.  Nor  is  there  any  material  difference,  in 
the  last  reduction,  between  vulgar  and  respectable 
sinners,  or  between  those  who  are  in  Sing  Sing  and 
those  who  are  out  of  it.  The  thing  to  be  emphasized 
is  that  sin  means  separation  from  God.  The  Hudson 
River  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  as  wide  as  the 
Atlantic  when  a  mother  is  on  one  side  and  her  child 
on  the  other  and  there  is  neither  bridge  nor  boat 
wherewith  to  cross  it. 

In  the  problem  as  it  presented  itself  to  the  mind  of 
Simon  there  was  one  factor  of  which  he  took  no 


THE    MISTAKES    OF    A    PHARISEE       253 

cognizance ;  namely,  the  woman's  penitence ;  while 
this,  to  the  mind  of  Jesus,  was  the  determining  factor. 
It  is  placed  in  alto  relievo  in  one  of  his  parables : 

"Two  went  to  pray:   or  rather  say, 
One  went  to  brag,  the  other  went  to  pray. 

"One  stands  up  close  and  treads  on  high, 
Where  the  other  dare  not  lift  his  eye. 

"  One  nearer  to  God's  altar  trod, 
The  other  to  the  altar's  God." 

At  the  gateway  of  the  Parthenon  in  Athens  was  an 
altar  dedicated  to  Tears.  No  sacrifices  were  con- 
sumed nor  votive  offerings  placed  upon  it ;  but  the 
sorrowing  bowed  there  and  wept  out  their  sorrows. 
It  was  the  shadowing  forth  of  a  great  truth ;  to  wit, 
"  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit ;  a  broken 
and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise  " 
(Psalm  li,  17).  Dearer  to  God  than  all  the  misereres 
of  the  chanting  Pharisees  is  the  cry  of  the  returning 
prodigal.  He  sees  him  bowed  with  penitence  and 
goes  out  to  meet  him  while  he  is  yet  a  great  way  off. 

At  the  close  of  the  twelfth  century  Richard,  son  of 
Henry  II,  conspired  against  his  father  and  took  refuge 
in  a  walled  city,  to  which  the  king  laid  siege.  In  the 
course  of  the  campaign  Richard  was  wounded  unto 
death ;  and,  being  overwhelmed  with  contrition,  sent  a 
messenger  to  his  father  asking  that  he  might  be  per- 
mitted to  see  his  face.  His  request  was  refused.  Once 
and  again  he  sent  his  humble  appeal  in  vain.  At 
length  a  procession  passed  through  the  gateway  of 
the  city  under  a  flag  of  truce  bearing  the  dying  prince 
upon  a  stretcher ;  but  ere  it  reached  the  royal  pavilion 


254  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

he  had  breathed  his  last.  As  the  bearers  waited  there, 
they  heard  from  within  a  strong  cry  like  that  of 
David,  "  O  Richard,  my  son,  my  son ;  would  God  I 
had  died  for  thee !  "  The  Lord  with  whom  we  have 
to  do  makes  no  such  mistakes.  He  knows  the  deep 
secrets  of  the  heart ;  and  where  there  is  true  peni- 
tence he  has  sworn  by  himself  that  he  will  not  re- 
ject it. 

In  the  third  place  Simon  was  Mistaken  in  his  Judg- 
ment as  to  Himself. 

He  believed  himself  to  be  a  righteous  man.  He 
was,  in  truth,  an  adherent  of  the  most  orthodox  school 
of  believers  of  his  time;  was  no  doubt  scrupulous  to 
the  last  degree  in  his  observance  of  the  Ceremonial 
Law;  fasted,  placed  his  sacrifices  on  the  altar,  paid 
tithes  of  mint,  anise  and  cummin.  But  lip  service  does 
not  avail  with  God.  It  was  to  men  of  this  school  that 
Jesus  said,  "  Woe  unto  you,  hypocrites !  Ye  are  as 
whited  sepulchres;  fair  without,  but  within  full  of 
dead  men's  bones  and  all  uncleanness !  " 

No  sin  is  more  offensive  to  Christ  than  self-right- 
eousness. It  is  noticeable  that  in  his  teachings  he  was 
ever  more  considerate  of  great  sinners  than  of  those 
who,  leaning  on  their  own  righteousness,  thought 
themselves  to  be  accepted  before  God.  The  man  who 
beats  upon  his  breast,  crying,  "  God,  be  merciful !  " 
goes  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than  he  who 
parades  his  own  worthiness. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  righteousness;  and  the  line 
is  drawn  clearly  between  them.  "  I  bear  them  record," 
says  Paul,  speaking  of  men  like  Simon,  "  that  they 
have  a  zeal  of  God,  but  not  according  to  knowledge. 
For  they,  being  ignorant  of  God's  righteousness,  and 


THE    MISTAKES    OF    A    PHARISEE       255 

going  about  to  establish  their  own  righteousness,  have 
not  submitted  themselves  to  the  righteousness  of  God. 
For  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to 
every  one  that  believeth  "  (Rom.  x,  1-4).  The  only 
merit  which  makes  us  presentable  before  God  is  that 
which  is  imputed  to  us  in  Christ.  This  is  the  wedding 
garment  which  has  been  provided  gratis  for  all  who 
come  to  the  marriage  of  the  King's  Son ;  it  is  of  "  fine 
linen,  clean  and  white ;  which  is  the  righteousness  of 
saints."  But  there  are  those  who,  like  this  Pharisee, 
prefer  to  come  in  their  own  tinsel  robes  of  personal 
desert;  and  a  great  disappointment  awaits  them,  since 
it  is  a  true  saying,  "  All  our  righteousnesses  are  as 
filthy  rags"   (Matt,  xxii,  1-13). 

By  combining  the  foregoing  Mistakes  of  Simon,  we 
find  that  his  great,  comprehensive  Mistake  was  as  to 
the  Divine  Plan  of  Salvation. 

This  salvation  is  indeed  based  on  merit;  but  it  is 
the  merit  of  Christ  imputed  to  the  sinner  by  faith  and 
covering  all  his  sins.  The  wages  of  sin  is  death,  in 
every  instance ;  the  errand  of  Jesus  was  to  avert  this 
doom  by  lifting  the  ban  for  all  who  should  believe  in 
him. 

The  sole  condition  is  faith.  Jesus  said  to  this 
woman,  "  Thy  faith  hath  saved  "thee."  It  is  important 
that  we  should  understand  precisely  what  faith  is, 
when  reduced  to  its  simplest  terms.  It  is  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  acceptance  of  Christ.  No  intellec- 
tual belief  or  outward  observance  of  rites  and  cere- 
monies can  save  us.  A  tunic  on  a  nail  never  kept 
anybody  warm ;  it  must  be  put  on.  So  is  it  with  the 
righteousness  of  Christ;  we  receive  it  by  receiving 
him. 


CHRIST    AND   MEN 

And  all  the  rest  is  love.  "  Her  sins  which  are 
many  are  forgiven  her;  for  she  hath  loved  much." 
The  "  for  "  in  this  case  is  not  causative,  but  illative ; 
it  might  have  been  rendered  "  wherefore,"  but  the 
distinction  is  of  slight  moment,  since  faith  and  love  go 
arm  in  arm.  They  are  born  at  the  same  moment, 
quickened  by  the  same  breath  of  life  and  almost  indis- 
tinguishable in  form  and  feature.  Faith  looks  into 
the  face  of  Jesus ;  love  reposes  on  his  breast.  Faith 
kisses  his  feet;  love  goes  following  in  his  steps.  But 
both  are  one  in  bringing  the  soul  into  oneness  with 
God.     A  loving  faith  is  what  saves  us. 

It  was  on  this  very  day,  probably,  that  Jesus  had 
said,  while  preaching  in  Nain,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye 
that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."  And  this  woman,  in  all  likelihood,  had  heard 
it.  What  an  evangel  was  this  to  her  burdened  soul ! 
She  looked  on  Jesus,  and  two  things  happened  then 
and  there ;  she  believed  on  him,  and  she  loved  him. 
Faith  saved  her  on  the  instant;  and  ever  after  love 
constrained  her.  The  anointing,  the  tears,  the  bleed- 
ing heart,  the  joy  of  pardon,  were  the  expression  of  a 
loving  faith  in  him. 

Then  the  benediction :  "  Go  in  peace !  "  The  prepo- 
sition is  rather  "  into  "  than  "  in  " ;  as  if  to  indicate 
that  she  was  crossing  the  border  from  one  country  into 
another.  Out  of  the  old  life  into  the  new.  She  had 
known  what  guilty  pleasure  was ;  henceforth  she 
should  know  the  peace  of  God.  And  this  is  the  great 
bequest  of  Christ.  It  was  not  long  ere  this  Preacher 
of  Nain  went  through  the  little  wicket  gate  through 
which  we  all  must  pass;  and  what  did  he  leave?  A 
million?     Nay;    nothing  but  a  homespun   suit,   well 


THE   MISTAKES    OF    A    PHARISEE       257 

worn,  a  saw  and  hammer  long  disused  in  his  carpenter 
shop,  and  an  empty  wallet.  Nothing  more?  Ah,  yes; 
infinitely  more !  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you ;  my  peace 
give  I  unto  you,  not  as  the  world  maketh  its  bequests ; 
let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  !  "  Blessed  inheritance ! 
Secured  for  us  at  what  a  cost !  And  of  what  immeas- 
urable and  eternal  worth !  Have  we  entered  into  that 
inheritance?  The  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  under- 
standing be  ours ;  peace,  "  eternal,  sacred,  sure ! " 


XXIV 

FREEDOM 

In  which  he  brings  an  unexpected  Bar-sinister  to  the  Atten- 
tion of  certain  well-born  Jews. 

Jesus,  to  certain  Jews:  "If  ye  abide  in  my  word,  then 
are  ye  truly  my  disciples;  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free." 

Jews:  "  We  are  Abraham's  seed,  and  have  never  yet 
been  in  bondage  to  any  man:  how  sayest  thou,  Ye  shall  be 
made  free?" 

Jesus:  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Every  one  that 
committeth  sin  is  the  bondservant  of  sin.  And  the  bond- 
servant abideth  not  in  the  house  for  ever:  the  son  abideth 
for  ever.  If  therefore  the  Son  shall  make  you  free,  ye 
shall  be  free  indeed." — John  viii,  31-36. 

Dryden  says,  "  The  love  of  liberty  with  life  is 
given."  So  common  is  this  sentiment  that  it  would 
seem  to  be  a  divine  keepsake  or  remembrancer  of  the 
sovereign  will  with  which  we  were  endowed  when  cre- 
ated in  the  likeness  of  God.  It  matters  little  how  far 
a  man  may  have  fallen  from  his  original  estate,  he  is 
still,  to  use  a  paradoxical  phrase,  bound  to  be  free. 
The  poet  Moore  says, 

I'd  rather  dwell  in  Freedom's  Hall 

With  a  cold,  damp  floor  and  a  mouldering  wall, 

Than  to  bow  the  head  and  bend  the  knee 

In  the  proudest  palace  of  slavery. 

But  why,  then,  do  we  love  sin?    There  is  a  singu- 

258 


FREEDOM  259 

lar  incongruity  between  the  love  of  freedom  and  the 
love  of  sin.  For  sin  is  bondage ;  as  Christ  says, 
"  Every  one  that  committeth  sin  is  the  bondservant  of 
sin."  This  is  not  a  figure  of  speech,  but  the  statement 
of  a  fact  which  should  be  obvious  to  all.  In  the  whole 
world  there  is  not  a  living  man  in  his  right  mind  who 
does  not  have  the  witness  of  personal  experience  to 
the  fact  that  he  himself  is  a  sinner,  and  the  testimony 
of  observation  that  his  fellow-men  are  all  in  the  same 
category.  Paul  says,  "  There  is  no  difference ;  all 
have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God."  And 
God  says,  "  There  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not 
one." 

The  sinner  is  bound  with  a  chain  of  five  links.  The 
first  of  these  is  Tendency. 

This  used  to  be  called  "  original  sin  " ;  but,  owing  to 
a  new  fashion  in  terminology,  it  is  now  referred  to  as 
"  heredity."  Call  it  whatever  you  please,  the  fact 
stands  thus,  "  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes  and 
the  children's  teeth  are  set  on  edge."  And,  singu- 
larly enough,  this  proverb,  once  so  stoutly  antagon- 
ized as  a  theological  dogma,  is  universally  accepted 
as  a  scientific  proposition  in  these  days. 

The  second  link  of  the  chain  is  Indulgence. 

We  suffer  retribution  not  because  of  original  but 
of  actual  sin  (Ezekiel  xviii,  1-4).  If  a  man  were  to 
commit  one  sin  and  quit,  that  of  itself  would  be  suffi- 
cient to  alienate  him  from  God;  since  sin  is  Use- 
majeste  and  "  whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law  and 
yet  stumble  in  one  point,  he  is  become  guilty  of  all." 
In  the  early  annals  of  our  country  there  was  no  braver 
soldier  than  Benedict  Arnold,  who  distinguished  him- 
self under  the  walls  of  Quebec  and  in  many  of  the 


260  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

battles  of  our  Revolutionary  War;  but  a  single  act  of 
treason  at  length  so  wholly  obliterated  his  patriotic 
record  that  his  portrait  in  the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  has  its  face  turned  toward  the  wall. 

The  third  link  is  Habit. 

"  Sin  doth  breed  habit  in  a  man."  An  eagle  that 
had  for  years  been  tethered  to  a  stake  became  so  ac- 
customed to  its  restraint  that,  after  its  chain  was 
broken,  it  still  kept  going  round  and  round  in  its  for- 
mer circle;  so  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  push  it 
beyond  the  length  of  its  tether  before  it  would  spread 
its  wings  and  soar  into  the  air.  It  has  been  wisely 
said  that  men  are  "  kings  in  the  liberty  of  choice,  but 
slaves  as  to  the  consequence  of  it."     And  again, 

"  Habits   are   soon   acquired ; 
But  when  we  strive  to  strip  them  off  'tis  being  flayed  alive." 

The  fourth  link  is  Character. 

Character  is  a  mere  bundle  of  habits.  A  man's 
moral  value  is  the  sum  total  of  his  thoughts  and  acts. 
In  the  philosophy  of  Peter  the  problem  of  Morality  is 
solved  by  a  simple  process  in  addition  (II.  Pet.  i,  5-8). 
And,  conversely,  an  evil  character  is  made  by  adding 
one  sin  to  another;  so  that  by  continuance  in  trans- 
gression we  constantly  increase  the  hopelessness  of 
our  condition.  This  fixity  of  character  is  set  forth  in 
a  picture  in  the  Louvre  representing  Bacchus  riding 
on  a  panther  at  a  furious  pace.  You  will  find  this,  in 
concrete  form,  in  the  story  of  any  person  who  has  per- 
sistently given  way  to  one  or  more  besetting  sins.  A 
boy  who  stood  in  the  doorway  of  Tarn  O'Shanter's 
inn  at  Ayr,  a  hundred  years  ago,  listening  to  the  merry 
jests  of  "  Souter  Johnny,"  consented  to  take  a  social 


FREEDOM  261 

glass  with  him.  He  little  thought  what  the  outcome 
would  be.  As  time  passed  he  repeated  the  glass, 
until,  not  infrequently,  he  went  reeling  back  from  Ayr 
to  the  little  cottage  at  Alloway.  Had  you  remon- 
strated with  him,  he  would  doubtless  have  answered, 
"  Pooh,  pooh !  I  can  take  it  or  let  it  alone."  But 
before  he  had  passed  the  meridian  of  manhood  he 
found  himself  so  bound  that  he  was  constrained  to 
say,  "  Were  a  barrel  of  rum  in  yonder  corner  of  the 
room  with  a  loaded  cannon  guarding  it,  and  if  I  knew 
that  I  should  be  blown  to  atoms  in  the  attempt,  I 
would  go  to  that  barrel  of  rum."  Poor  Robert  Burns ! 
Is  there  anything  sadder  than  the  words  in  the  dedi- 
cation of  his  last  book? 

"  Reader,  attend ;  whether  thy  soul 
Soar  Fancy's  flight  beyond  the  Pole, 
Or  darkling  grub  this  narrow  hole 
In  low  pursuit; 

Know  prudent,  cautious  self-control 
Is  wisdom's  root !  " 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  inebriety  is 
the  chiefest  or  most  enthralling  of  sins.  It  is  most 
likely  to  be  shunned  by  self-respecting  people  because 
it  stands  forth  to  the  public  view  naked  in  its  shame. 
But  there  are  many  who  congratulate  themselves  on 
their  utter  abhorrence  and  avoidance  of  such  vulgar 
vices  as  drunkenness  and  open  sensuality  who  yet 
yield  themselves  as  willing  servitors  to  pride,  envy, 
avarice,  worldliness,  secret  impurity,  unbelief,  malevo- 
lence or  selfishness  in  some  of  its  various  forms.  They 
may  never  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  jail  or  the 
gutter,  may  clothe  themselves  in  purple  and  fine  linen, 


262  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

provoke  envy  among'  their  fellows  and  sleep  finally 
under  a  monument  with  a  Latin  epitaph  upon  it ;  they 
are  bound  hand  and  foot,  nevertheless,  as  bondslaves 
of  sin.  It  is  true  that  all  sins  are  not  equally  heinous ; 
but  all  alike  are  hateful  to  God;  and  the  most  polite 
and  respectable  are  oftentimes  most  specious  in  their 
approach,  most  enslaving  in  their  cumulative  influence 
and  most  disastrous  in  their  latter  end. 

The  last  link  of  the  chain  is  Destiny. 

The  story  runs  on  this  wise:  Tendency  breeds  In- 
dulgence, Indulgence  breeds  Habit,  Habit  breeds 
Character,  Character  breeds  Destiny.  "  The  wages  of 
sin  is  death,"  spiritual  and  eternal  death. 

And  here  is  another  marvel,  a  strange  moral  incon- 
gruity :  that  men  should  be  afraid  of  hell  and  yet  per- 
sist in  sin.  It  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact 
that  sin  carries  an  atmosphere  of  delusion  with  it.  Sin 
blinds  as  it  binds,  so  that  its  most  hopeless  victims 
are  those  who  think  themselves  most  free.  The  Jews 
to  whom  Jesus  said  "  The  truth  shall  make  you  free," 
retorted  with  some  heat,  "  We  be  Abraham's  seed, 
and  were  never  in  bondage  to  any  man;  how  sayest 
thou  then,  Ye  shall  be  made  free  ?  "  They  wholly  mis- 
apprehended his  meaning;  but  taking  their  own  view 
of  the  matter,  they  were  mistaken  and  should  have 
known  it.  In  the  vicissitudes  of  their  national  life  the 
Jews  had  been  subjugated  again  and  again.  Had  they 
forgotten  Egypt,  with  its  tale  of  bricks  and  whip  of 
scorpions?  Had  they  forgotten  Babylon,  where  they 
"  hung  their  harps  on  the  willows  and  wept  when  they 
remembered  Zion  "  ?  Or  were  they  oblivious  of  the 
fact  that  at  this  very  time  they  were  groaning  under 
the  tyranny  of  Rome?     But  this  was  not  what  Jesus 


FREEDOM  263 

referred  to:   he  had  in  mind  the  far  more  cruel  and 
hopeless  bondage  of  sin. 

The  probability  is,  however,  that  had  they  known 
his  real  meaning  they  would  have  answered  in  the 
same  way.  The  delusion  is  due  primarily  to  a  mis- 
understanding of  the  definition  of  freedom.  The  com- 
mon view  is  that  it  means  exemption  from  restraint; 
as  Milton  says, 

"License  they  mean  when  they  cry  Liberty: 
They  bawl   for   freedom   in  their   senseless   mood, 
And  still  revolt  when  Truth  would  set  them  free." 

Which  is  freer,  the  comet  that  whizzes  aimlessly 
through  space  or  the  planet  that  wheels  in  its  normal 
orbit,  never  deviating  a  hair's  breath  through  countless 
ages? 

Which  is  freer,  the  locomotive  that  leaps  the  track 
and  ditches  itself,  or  the  one  that  honors  the  law  of 
its  being  by  proceeding  on  the  rails  provided  for  it? 

So,  then,  freedom  is  not  the  absence  of  restraint, 
but  "  perfect  obedience  to  perfect  law."  This  is  true 
in  society  as  in  nature.  "  There  is  nothing  situate 
under  heaven's  eye  but  hath  its  bounds  in  earth,  in  sea, 
in  sky." 

The  "  Free-lances  "  of  the  olden  time  were  men  who 
marched  and  fought  with  no  rules  of  service  or  leader 
in  commission,  thinking  themselves  to  be  "  free  "  be- 
cause they  pursued  their  own  sweet  will. 

The  freebooters  or  "  filibusters  "  of  the  seventeenth 
century  were  sailors  who  had  no  regard  for  marine 
regulations ;  "  sea  wolves  preying  on  the  commerce 
of  the  world."    Byron's  Corsair  sings, 


264  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

"  O'er  the  glad  waters  of  the  dark  blue  sea, 
Our  thoughts  are  boundless  and  our  souls  are  free ! " 

In  like  manner  there  are  so-called  "  free-thinkers  " 
in  our  time  who  disregard  all  the  rules  that  should 
control  the  processes  of  thought,  cast  away  their 
Bibles,  plunge  into  all  manner  of  intellectual  absurdi- 
ties and  boast  of  liberty;  as  did  Theodore  Parker 
when  he  said,  "  I  will  not  receive  this  proposition  on 
the  authority  of  any  such  person  as  God." 

And  there  are  free-livers,  too,  many  and  every- 
where. You  may  find  them  in  their  last  estate  in  our 
slums  and  "  Tenderloins,"  doing  as  .they  please.  They 
are  not  restrained  by  any  trammels  of  social  life,  by 
marital  bonds,  by  statutes  and  ordinances.  They  are 
self-pleasers.  "  I  care  for  nobody ;  no,  not  I :  and  no- 
body cares  for  me."  They  are  alike  indifferent  to  the 
laws  of  society,  the  laws  of  the  State  and  the  laws  of 
God. 

Is  this  freedom?  God  save  the  mark!  This  is 
license,  "  the  full  corn  in  the  ear."  This  is  sin  ripened 
into  Character.  In  all  the  world  there  is  nothing 
more  pitiable  than  the  sight  of  such  bondage.  It  is 
worse  than  to  be  a  galley  slave,  scourged  to  his  dun- 
geon. It  is  worse  than  to  be  a  "  plantation  hand,"  tied 
to  the  stake  and  shrinking  under  the  cat-o'-nine-tails. 
It  is  worse,  unspeakably,  because  it  is  so  hopelessly 
voluntary.  Let  "  Ichabod  "  be  written  upon  the  fore- 
head of  a  man  when  he  no  longer  cares  to  be  free. 

But  Christ  the  Emancipator  comes  this  way.  At 
the  very  outset  of  his  ministry  he  enters  the  synagogue 
at  Nazareth  and  opens  the  book  where  it  is  written, 
"  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me ;  because  he 


FREEDOM  265 

hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  to 
heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised."  And 
he  adds,  "  To-day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your 
ears!" 

Christus  Liberator!  He  comes  to  break  every  chain 
and  bid  the  oppressed  go  free.  He  does  this,  to  begin 
with,  by  pardoning  the  mislived  past.  "  There  is, 
therefore,  no  more  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in 
Christ  Jesus."  No  more  of  the  "  certain  fearful- 
looking-for  of  judgment."  Is  it  nothing  to  be  deliv- 
ered, thus,  from  memories  that  pursue  us  like  wraiths 
and  hinder  us  in  the  pursuit  of  better  things?  No 
man  can  call  himself  free  who  drags  behind  him  an 
ever-lengthening  chain.  Life  is  a  "  race  set  before 
us,"  and  the  way  to  begin  it  is  to  disencumber  one's 
self.  No  one  can  venture  hopefully  on  the  work  of 
character-building  who  does  not,  at  the  outset,  take 
advantage  of  the  overtures  of  divine  mercy  for  the 
cleansing  from  sin. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Christ  not  only  pardons;  he 
enfranchises.  Pardon  is  merely  a  laying  aside ;  but 
the  divine  enfranchisement  is  a  girdle  about  the  loins. 
The  younger  son  in  the  Parable,  who  chafed  under  the 
parental  authority  at  home,  was  of  the  opinion  that 
if  he  could  get  away  into  the  country  he  would  be 
free.  He  crossed  the  hills,  accordingly,  and  for  a 
time  did  as  he  pleased ;  wasting  his  substance  in  riot- 
ous living,  until  his  false  conception  of  liberty  bore  its 
normal  fruit  and  he  "  went  into  the  fields  to  feed 
swine."  Here  he  discovered  the  fact  that  there  is  a 
tremendous  difference  between  license  and  liberty; 
and,  coming  to  himself,  he  said,  "  I  will  arise  and  go 


266  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

to  my  father's  house."  On  the  way  he  composed  an 
address :  "  I  will  say  to  my  father,  I  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son;  make  me  as  one  of  thy 
hired  servants."  But  servitude  at  home  was  out  of 
the  question.  His  father  came  out,  while  he  was  yet 
a  great  way  off,  to  meet  him  and  interrupted  his  pre- 
pared speech  with  a  call  to  his  servants,  "  Bring  forth 
the  best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him ;  and  put  a  ring  on 
his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet !  "  The  robe  was  a 
token  of  restoration  to  the  privileges  of  the  home ;  as 
it  is  written,  "  I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  for 
he  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments  of  salvation." 
The  signet  ring  was  a  token  of  restoration  to  the  heir- 
ship ;  as  it  is  written,  "  If  a  son,  then  an  heir ;  an  heir 
of  God  and  a  joint  heir  with  Christ."  But  the  shoes 
were  the  token  of  enfranchisement:  for  the  slaves  of 
those  times  went  barefoot.  The  son  was  now  entitled 
to  all  the  privileges  of  the  father's  house.  Free  at 
last !  Free  to  make  for  himself  a  new  record  of  char- 
acter, since  the  story  of  the  past  was  blotted  out. 

But,  alas  !  we  are  not  there  yet.  We  are  still  strug- 
gling against  our  fetters.  No  one  knows  this  better 
than  our  critics,  the  "  children  in  the  market  place," 
who,  to  our  discomfiture,  constantly  observe  and  not 
infrequently  remark  upon  the  remnants  of  sin  abiding 
in  us. 

But  we  have  started  out.  We  are  on  the  way.  And 
there  is  a  vast  difference  between  a  man  who  rests  con- 
tent in  his  bondage  and  one  who  is  a  fugitive  from 
bonds.  The  slave  who  fled  from  his  Southern  master, 
in  slavery  days,  had  to  make  his  way  through  the  Dis- 
mal Swamp,  with  the  bloodhounds  baying  on  his 
track.    If  at  length,  travelling  by  night  and  hiding  all 


FREEDOM  267 

day,  he  succeeded  in  crossing  Mason  and  Dixon's  line, 
he  was  not  yet  free ;  since  the  decision  of  Justice  Taney 
made  it  imperative  that  the  people  of  the  Northern 
States  should  restore  the  runaway.  But  on  he  went, 
following  the  North  Star,  till  at  length  he  crossed  the 
Canada  line ;  then,  thank  God,  he  was  free !  You 
will  find  the  counterpart  of  this  in  Paul's  experience 
where  he  says,  "  I  see  a  law  in  my  members  warring 
against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into 
captivity  to  the  law  of  sin.  O  wretched  man  that  I 
am!  Who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death?"  But  the  next  word  is  a  word  of  triumph: 
"  I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord !  " 

Aye,  the  full  deliverance  will  come  at  last  through 
him.  In  our  translation  to  the  Better  Country  it 
shall  be  said  of  our  sins  as  Moses  said  of  the  Egyp- 
tians at  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea,  "  Stand  still  and 
see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord!  For  as  to  these  Egyp- 
tians whom  ye  have  seen  to-day,  ye  shall  see  them  no 
more  forever !  "  The  long  struggle  will  be  over ;  and 
the  reward  promised  to  the  overcomer  shall  be  ours: 
"  I  will  write  upon  him  the  name  of  the  City  of  my 
God."     The  freedom  of  the  heavenly  city ! 

What  a  day  that  will  be  when  we  shall  sing  like 
Israel,  "  Thou  hast  brought  forth  the  people  whom 
thou  hast  redeemed !  "  No  more  sin,  no  more  short- 
coming, no  more  chafing  of  the  weary  chain.  Our 
joy  will  be  like  that  of  the  people  of  San  Domingo, 
who,  waiting  long  to  hear  the  result  of  the  Abolition 
Bill  in  the  House  of  Commons,  saw  at  length  a  signal 
waving  from  the  masthead  of  an  approaching  vessel, 
and  sent  the  shout  echoing  over  the  island,  "  Free, 
free,  all  free  !  " 


268  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

But  do  we  want  it?  Or  do  we  prefer  to  remain  in 
bondage?  Alas,  the  misery  of  the  situation  is,  that 
the  sinner  is  wedded  to  his  sin,  like  the  prisoner  of 
Chillon,  who  dwelt  so  long  in  his  dungeon  that  he 
conceived  an  affection  for  it : 

"And  when  they  came  to  set  me  free, 
I  asked  not  why  and  recked  not  where; 
It  was  at  length  the  same  to  me, 
Fettered  or  fetterless  to  be; 
I  learned  to  love  despair! 

•  » 

With  spiders  I  had  friendship  made 
And  watched  them  in  their  solemn  trade 

My  very  chains  and  I  grew  friends— 
So  much  a  long  communion  tends 
To  make  us  what  we  are — even  I 
Regained  my  freedom  with  a  sigh ! " 

But  freedom  is  offered  by  divine  grace  to  every 
man  who  really  cares  for  it.  The  Liberator  comes  to 
the  prison-house  with  key  in  hand.  This  is  the  key, 
"  He  that  believeth  shall  enter  into  life."  There  is  a 
little  window  in  the  door  of  the  dungeon  called  "  Op- 
portunity," through  which  the  prisoner  may  take  this 
key  and  open  the  door  if  he  will.  Is  not  that  enough  ? 
Nay,  then  the  Liberator  will  do  more :  he  will  himself 
turn  the  key  and  throw  wide  the  door.  Come  forth ! 
Is  not  that  enough?  Nay,  then,  the  prisoner  shall  be 
without  excuse.  The  Liberator  offers  his  hand,  a 
helping  hand.  Will  the  bondman  take  it?  Let  the 
sinner  clasp  hands  with  Christ,  and  he  shall  straight- 
way be  led  forth  out  of  the  bondage  of  sin  into  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 


XXV 
IN  SIGHT  OF  HEAVEN 

In   which   a   Man   who   has   reached   the   Threshold   of   the 
Kingdom  is  urged  to  take  one  more  Step. 

One  of  the  Scribes:  "What  commandment  is  the  first 
of  all?  " 

Jesus:  "  The  first  is,  Hear,  O  Israel;  The  Lord  our 
God,  the  Lord  is  one:  and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with 
all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength.  The  second  is 
this,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  There  is 
none  other  commandment  greater  than  these." 

The  Scribe:  "Of  a  truth,  Teacher,  thou  hast  well  said 
that  he  is  one;  and  there  is  none  other  but  he:  and  to 
love  him  with  all  the  heart,  and  with  all  the  understand- 
ing, and  with  all  the  strength,  and  to  love  his  neighbor 
as  himself,  is  much  more  than  all  whole  burnt-offerings 
and  sacrifices." 

Jesus:  "  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God." 
— Mark  xii,  28-34. 

The  general  impression  as  to  the  scribe  or  "  lawyer  " 
who  came  asking  "  Which  is  the  greatest  command- 
ment?" is  that  he  was  unfriendly  to  Christ.  I  think 
this  a  misapprehension.  He  was,  indeed,  the  repre- 
sentative of  a  wicked  cabal  in  this  instance ;  but  many 
an  honest  sailor  has  trod  the  deck  of  a  privateer.  It 
is  said  that  his  purpose  was  to  "  tempt "  Jesus ;  but 
the  word  appears  not  to  be  used  in  its  sinister  sense, 
meaning  only  that  he  wished  to  put  the  reputed  wis- 
dom of  this  much  heralded  teacher  to  the  test.  He  was 

269 


270  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

not  a  scoffer  nor  a  mere  casuist ;  but,  as  the  issue 
shows,  an  honest  and  earnest  seeker  after  truth. 

It  was  Tuesday,  April  4th ;  the  last  day  of  the  pub- 
lic ministry  of  Jesus.  The  Feast  of  the  Passover  was 
drawing  near  and  the  city  was  already  thronged  with 
strangers  from  every  part  of  Jewry.  The  coming  of 
Jesus  to  this  festival  was  most  disconcerting  to  the 
religious  leaders  who  had  warned  him  again  and  again 
to  refrain  from  "  disturbing  the  peace."  He  was  now 
teaching  in  Solomon's  Porch,  and  the  multitudes  were 
thronging  to  hear  him.  If  possible,  he  must  be  dis- 
posed of  before  the  Passover;  but,  in  order  to  prevent 
disturbance,  it  must  be  done  under  cover  of  the  law. 
There  must  be  a  valid  charge  against  him.  At  a  called 
session  of  the  Sanhedrin  it  was  accordingly  deter- 
mined that  emissaries  should  be  sent  to  entrap  him. 

At  this  time  there  were  three  parties  in  the  Sanhe- 
drin. The  Herodians,  or  Romanized  Jews,  held  that 
it  was  wise  policy  to  acquiesce  in  Roman  laws  and 
customs  with  the  best  possible  grace.  The  Sadducees 
were  rationalists,  or  free-thinkers,  denying  the  resur- 
rection in  particular,  and  assuming  an  agnostic  atti- 
tude toward  the  future  life.  The  Pharisees,  or  ortho- 
dox Jews,  held  firmly  to  the  inspiration  of  the 
Scriptures  and  insisted  on  the  rigid  observance  of  the 
elaborate  ceremonial  of  the  Mosaic  law.  The  plan 
was  to  send  a  delegation  representing  each  of  these 
parties  to  take  part  in  the  proposed  inquisition  of 
Jesus. 

The  Herodian  delegate  propounded  a  politico-reli- 
gious question  which  had  provoked  much  discussion: 
"  Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar  or  not?"  The 
trap  was  cleverly  set,  its  purpose  being  to  place  Jesus 


IN    SIGHT    OF    HEAVEN  271 

in  a  dilemma ;  since  if  he  answered  yes  he  would  an- 
tagonize the  loyal  Jews  and  if  no  the  Roman  authori- 
ties. Matthew  Henry  says,  "  It  was  proposed  thus  to 
catch  him  in  a  premunire."  But  he  was  quite  equal 
to  the  occasion.  "  Show  me  the  tribute  money,"  he 
said;  whereupon  a  penny  was  placed  in  his  hands. — 
"  Whose  image  and  superscription  is  this  ? " — 
"  Caesar's." — "  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 

It  was  now  the  turn  of  the  Sadducean  delegate. 
His  question  was  one  of  the  thumb-worn  subtleties  of 
his  school,  known  as  the  Question  of  the  Seven-fold 
Widow ;  to  wit,  "  A  certain  woman  had  seven  hus- 
bands, all  of  whom  died  without  issue :  now  if  there 
is  to  be  a  Resurrection,  whose  wife  shall  she  be  ?  " 
The  answer  of  Jesus  covered  the  case,  being  a  denial 
in  toto  of  the  sensual  conception  of  Paradise  and  a 
general  statement  of  the  fact  that  "  flesh  and  blood 
cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Then  came  this  lawyer  as  the  mouth-piece  of  the 
Pharisee  or  orthodox  party.  His  question  was  a  fair 
one :  "  Master,  which  is  the  first  commandment  of 
all  ?  "  In  the  rabbinical  teaching  there  were  six  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  precepts,  of  which  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  were  negative  and  two  hundred  and 
forty-eight  affirmative;  and  these  were  graded  from 
greatest  to  least.  By  common  consent  the  least  com- 
mandment was  that  which  referred  to  the  robbing  of 
a  bird's  nest  (Deut.  xxii,  6-7).  But  there  was  a  vari- 
ety of  opinions  as  to  the  greatest.  Some  held  that  it 
was  the  law  touching  fringes  and  phylacteries ;  others 
contended  that  it  was  the  requirement  as  to  ablutions : 
and  still  others  that  it  was  the  injunction  against  the 


272  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

profane  use  of  the  divine  name.  But  Jesus  went  to 
the  root  of  the  matter  with  a  word.  Pointing  to  the 
shcma  which  was  inscribed  upon  the  frontlet  worn  by 
the  lawyer  between  his  eyes,  he  quoted,  "  Hear,  O 
Israel,  The  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord ! "  and  added 
"  The  first  of  all  the  commandments  is,  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all 
thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
strength.  And  the  second  is  like  unto  it,  namely, 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On  these 
two  commandments  hang  all  the  law  and  the  proph- 
ets." The  real  testing  was  thus  shifted  from  Jesus  to 
the  lawyer  himself,  who  answered  in  all  frankness, 
"  Master,  thou  hast  spoken  truly ;  there  is  one  God 
and  there  is  none  other  but  he ;  and  to  love  him  su- 
premely and  to  love  one's  neighbor  as  one's  self  is 
more  than  all  whole  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices." 
Whereupon  Jesus,  seeing  that  he  answered  discreetly, 
said,  "  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God." 

It  is  our  purpose  to  inquire  as  to  the  meaning  of 
these  words.  And,  to  begin  with,  what  are  we  to 
understand  by  "  the  kingdom  of  God  "  ? 

One  of  the  notable  books  of  recent  years  is  entitled, 
"  The  Republic  of  God."  But  this  is  a  misnomer. 
The  government  of  God  is  an  absolute  monarchy.  It 
may  be  called  a  "  commonwealth,"  inasmuch  as  its 
immeasurable  riches  are  shared  by  all ;  but  not  a  re- 
public, because  the  word  of  its  Magistrate  is  supreme, 
exclusive  and  ultimate  law.  All  things  in  the  universe 
are  bound  to  obey  God.  A  grain  of  sand  is  con- 
strained by  the  laws  of  its  being ;  so  is  every  planet 
that  sweeps  around  its  orbit  in  infinite  space.  A  drop 
of  water  holds  itself  in  perfect  accord  with  the  law  of 


IN    SIGHT    OF    HEAVEN  273 

its  being;  so  does  the  ocean,  which  hears  and  obeys 
the  word,  "  Thus  far,  and  no  farther ;  here  let  thy 
proud  waves  be  stayed !  "  The  birds  of  the  air,  the 
beasts  of  the  field,  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  are  under  a 
like  restraint ;  and  when  we  speak  of  "  the  laws  of 
their  being  "  we  are  using  a  term  synonymous  and 
interchangeable  with  the  divine  will. 

"The  Lord  is  King!  Lift  up  thy  voice 
O  earth,  and  all  ye  heavens  rejoice. 
From  world  to  world  the  cry  shall  ring, 
The  Lord  Omnipotent  is  King ! " 

But  there  is  one  order  of  creation  which  is  outside 
of  this  kingdom ;  that  is,  the  human  race.  Man  was 
created  in  God's  likeness  and  therefore  with  a  sover- 
eign will.  Of  himself,  in  pure  wilfulness,  he  has 
turned  aside  and  gone  into  his  own  way.  And  this  is 
true  of  all ;  as  it  is  written,  "  There  is  no  difference, 
all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God." 
Now,  sin  is  high  treason.  It  is  defined  to  be  "  any 
transgression  of  the  divine  law."  The  old  word 
"  anomy,"  now  obsolete,  expresses  it.  Sin  is  rebellion. 
It  outlaws  a  man;  that  is,  places  him  in  a  state  of 
enmity  against  God.  The  penalty  is,  "  The  soul  that 
sinneth,  it  shall  die."  And  this  death  is  eternal  alien- 
ation from  God. 

It  has  pleased  God,  however,  to  make  provision  for 
the  restoration  of  the  sinful  race.  It  is  with  this  pur- 
pose in  view  that  he  sends  his  only  begotten  Son  into 
the  world.  His  coming  is  announced  by  a  royal  her- 
ald, crying,  "  Repent  ye !  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
at  hand !  "  At  the  outset  of  his  ministry  our  Lord 
announces  to  Nicodemus  the  prerequisite  for  admis- 


274  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

sion  to  the  kingdom  in  these  words,  "  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you ;  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  can- 
not enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  " ;  that  is,  regenera- 
tion is  necessary  to  the  recovery  of  the  divine 
franchise.  And  when  Nicodemus  expressed  his  be- 
wilderment, saying,  "How  can  these  things  be?" 
Jesus  laid  down  the  doctrine  of  Justification  by  Faith 
on  this  wise,  "  As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the 
wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up ; 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  eternal  life."  Here  then  is  the  condition  of 
restoration ;  a  man  must  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  The  moment  a  man  thus  believes  or  accepts 
Christ  as  his  Saviour  from  sin,  he  enters  into  the 
kingdom ;  which  is  not  located  in  some  remote  planet 
or  postponed  to  any  Golden  Age,  but  is  here  and  now ; 
so  that  multitudes,  accepting  Christ  and  regenerated 
by  his  Spirit,  are  "  pressing  into  it."  And  all  are  in- 
vited and  urged  to  enter  it. 

Now  to  return  to  the  lawyer;  let  us  inquire  what 
Jesus  meant  by  saying  to  him  "  Thou  are  not  far  from 
the  kingdom  of  God."  There  is  a  sense  in  which  all 
sinners  are  far  from  the  kingdom,  since  all  alike  are 
"  dead  "  in  trespasses  and  sins.  If  there  were  some- 
where a  man  who  had  never  committed  but  a  single 
sin  in  his  whole  life,  he  would  nevertheless  have 
placed  himself  thereby  in  a  state  of  rebellion  against 
God.  But  it  is  obvious  that  all  sins  are  not  equally 
heinous,  and  that  all  sinners  are  not  to  be  beaten  with 
equal  stripes.  Some  have  sinned  against  clearer  light 
than  others.  Some  have  run  boldly  and  defiantly  on 
the  bosses  of  God's  shield.  Did  not  Christ  say  to 
Pilate,  "  He  that  delivereth  me  unto  thee  hath  the 


IN    SIGHT    OF    HEAVEN  275 

greater  sin  "  ?  Leprosy  is  always  leprosy ;  but  the 
man  whose  joints  are  falling  asunder  is  a  greater  leper 
than  one  who  has  but  a  single  scale  on  his  forehead. 
So  some  are  at  a  vast  distance  from  the  kingdom  by 
reason  of  long  and  flagrant  indulgence  in  known  sin. 
It  makes  a  difference  whether  a  man,  on  leaving  home, 
goes  into  the  next  county  or  into  the  jungles  of 
Africa;  and  on  his  return  it  makes  a  difference 
whether  he  is  taking  ship  from  Liverpool  or  standing 
at  the  threshold  of  his  father's  house. 

One  reason  why  this  lawyer  would  appear  to  have 
been  drawing  nigh  to  the  kingdom  is  the  fact  that  he 
believed  something.  His  creed  was  expressed  in  the 
formulary  of  the  shema,  "  There  is  one  God ;  and  there 
is  none  other  but  he."  As  a  scribe,  he  was  familiar 
with  the  Scriptures,  and  he  received  their  teaching  as 
authoritative  on  that  point.  It  is  a  favorable  sign 
when  a  man  can  lay  his  hand  upon  any  great  funda- 
mental truth  and  say,  "  This  I  believe  because  the 
Lord  hath  said  it." 

We  note  another  reason  for  our  Lord's  approval 
in  the  fact  that  this  lawyer  had  a  Code  of  Morals, 
founded  on  his  belief  in  the  true  God.  He  assented 
without  a  moment's  hesitation  to  Christ's  summary 
of  the  law,  namely,  that  all  its  precepts  were  briefly 
comprehended  in  love  toward  God  and  men.  If  he 
was  sincere  in  this,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  think 
otherwise,  he  was  a  man  of  principle ;  endeavoring  to 
conform  his  conduct  to  his  creed,  or,  as  the  Nonsuch 
Professor  says,  "  to  bring  the  bottom  of  his  life  up  to 
the  top  of  his  light."  Now  while  it  is  true  that  no 
man  is  justified  by  the  deeds  of  the  law,  it  is  true  also 
that  one  who  sincerely  tries  to  live  an  upright  life  is 


276  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

nearer  to  the  kingdom  than  one  who  lives  in  known 
and  flagrant  sin.  It  is  necessary  to  say  this,  because 
now  and  then  one  hears,  particularly  in  "  Rescue  Mis- 
sions," appeals  which  seem  to  bear  a  contrary  con- 
struction. God  stretches  out  his  hands  to  the  vilest 
sinner,  to  the  drunkard  and  libertine,  but  never  with 
an  intimation  that  they  are  near  to  the  kingdom.  Nay, 
they  are  afar  off ;  though  their  case  is  by  no  means 
hopeless,  since  "  while  the  lamp  holds  out  to  burn,  the 
vilest  sinner  may  return."  The  promise  is  to  those 
that  are  afar  off  as  well  as  to  those  who  are  near: 
"  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 
And  another  favorable  sign  in  the  case  of  this  law- 
yer was  his  dissatisfaction  with  himself  and  with  his 
formal  religion.  This  was  expressed  in  his  words, 
"  Master,  thou  hast  said  truly ;  to  love  God  and  to  love 
one's  neighbor  is  more  than  all  whole  burnt  offerings 
and  sacrifices."  He  was  living  under  an  economy  of 
burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices ;  he  paid  tithes,  gave 
attention  to  ablutions,  wore  phylacteries,  laid  his 
offerings  upon  the  altar  as  duly  prescribed  in  the 
Mosaic  law.  But  this  sort  of  conventional  observance 
did  not  satisfy  him.  He  felt  somehow  that  he  had  not 
reached  the  root  of  the  matter.  His  heart  was  say- 
ing, 

"Not  all  blood  of  beasts 
On  Jewish  altars  slain, 
Can  give  the  guilty  conscience  peace, 
Or  take  away  its  stain." 

And  still  further,  this  man  was  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  because  his  mind  was  open  to  conviction. 
We  infer  this  from  what  the  Lord  said,  "  Thou  hast 


IN    SIGHT    OF    HEAVEN  277 

answered  discreetly."  The  word  might  have  been 
rendered  "  frankly  "  or  "  without  prejudice."  Now 
prejudice  is  the  great  obstacle  in  the  way  of  salvation 
of  the  average  man.  He  comes  to  the  Bible,  not  to 
discover  truth,  but  to  find  out  whether  the  Bible  will 
not  strengthen  him  in  his  prejudgments.  It  is  re- 
lated of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  a  most  absent-minded  man, 
that  he  was  found  trying  to  light  a  candle  which  had 
an  extinguisher  on  it.  But  this  was  not  more  pre- 
posterous than  to  come  to  Jesus  with  a  mind  closed 
by  prejudice  against  him.  The  attitude  of  this  lawyer 
was  frank  and  ingenuous.  He  wanted  to  know ;  he 
was  eager  to  learn.  He  addressed  Jesus  in  respectful 
terms  and  appears  to  have  been  ready  to  be  convinced. 
He  was  following  up  his  light,  was  feeling  his  way. 

And  now  he  stands  at  the  very  door  of  the  King- 
dom. Did  not  Jesus  say,  "  I  am  the  door,"  and,  "  I 
am  the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life ;  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  me  "  ?  The  man  is  at  the 
threshold,  therefore,  of  the  kingdom.  What  remains? 
Nothing  but  to  cross  it;  to  accept  Christ.  One  step 
and  he  is  there !  His  attitude  is  precisely  that  of  the 
young  ruler  to  whom  Jesus  said,  "  One  thing  thou 
lackest;  part  with  everything  that  separates  between 
thee  and  me,  and  come  and  follow  me." 

Here  ends  the  story.  We  have  no  means  of  know- 
ing what  ultimately  became  of  this  man ;  but  there  is 
every  reason  to  think  that,  standing  where  he  did  and 
being  such  as  he  was,  he  took  the  fateful  step  and  en- 
tered the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  practical  application  is  for  us.  The  one  who 
reads  these  words  was  probably  never  nearer  the  king- 
dom  than    he    is    just  now.     This    may    be    one    of 


278  CHRIST   AND    MEN 

the  crucial  moments  of  his  life.  What  will  he  do 
about  it? 

Let  us  hear  a  parable.  Two  men  were  journeying 
in  the  Valley  of  the  Colorado.  They  were  strangers 
to  each  other.  They  walked  so  near  that  they  might 
easily  have  spoken  or  clasped  hands ;  but  they  did  not. 
Ere  long  they  parted  and  went  their  several  ways. 
Each  climbed  the  steep  diverging  paths  and  presently 
saw  each  other  again ;  but  they  were  now  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  Great  Canon  of  the  Colorado.  They 
seemed  not  far  apart ;  but  between  them  lay  a  bridge- 
less  chasm.  So  shall  it  be  when  this  probationary  life 
is  over.  Here  a  man  walks  in  the  Vale  of  Mercy,  side 
by  side  with  Christ.  He  may  at  any  moment  grasp 
his  outstretched  hand  and  enter  into  an  eternal  friend- 
ship with  him.  But  death  is  the  great  separator.  It 
ends  probation ;  it  fixes,  formulates,  crystallizes  char- 
acter; it  decrees  "  He  that  is  unjust  let  him  be  unjust 
still,  and  he  that  is  holy  let  him  be  holy  still."  Thus 
there  is  to  be  "  a  great  gulf  fixed,"  separating  those 
who  are  in  the  kingdom  from  those  who  are  forever 
afar  off. 

It  may  be  that  someone  is  saying,  "  So  far  as  I 
know  I  am  ready  to  meet  any  requirement  in  order 
to  salvation.  I  feel  that,  while  not  far  from  the  king- 
dom, I  am  not  in  it.  What  must  I  do  ?  "  There  is 
only  one  answer,  and  a  very  simple  one :  Accept  Christ. 
You  have  informed  yourself  of  the  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel ;  and  you  are  satisfied  as  to  the  right  thing  to  do. 
Your  mind  is  convinced,  your  conscience  convicted; 
your  will  alone  is  at  fault.  There  is  nothing  between 
you  and  the  kingdom  but  your  refusal  of  Christ.  Take 
him,  and  with  him  the  assurance  of  pardon,  "  Thy 


IN    SIGHT    OF    HEAVEN  279 

sins  be  forgiven  thee."  Take  him,  and  with  him  the 
inspiration  to  an  earnest  life.  Take  him  and  with  him 
the  strength  of  his  friendship,  which  is  as  a  strong 
staff  to  lean  on.  Take  him  and  with  him  the  invalu- 
able franchise  of  citizenship  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  word  "  opportunity "  is  from  ob-portus,  that 
is,  opposite  the  bay.  A  few  years  ago  the  Oregon 
was  wrecked  just  outside  the  harbor  of  New  York. 
You  are,  my  friend,  within  sight  of  heaven  just  now. 
All  that  remains  is  to  cross  the  line ;  to  say,  "  I  will ! 
By  the  grace  of  God,  I  do ! " 


XXVI 

THE  SECOND   COMING   OF   CHRIST 

In  which  Jesus  announces  his  glorious  Return  to  reign  from 
the  River  unto  the  Ends  of  the  Earth. 

Jesus:    "  Yea,  I  come  quickly." 

John:    "Amen;  Come,  Lord  Jesus." — Rev.  xxii,  20. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ  is  not 
deeply  emphasized  in  our  time,  but  the  early  disciples 
made  much  of  it.  You  will  find  it  in  the  last  words  of 
Paul :  "  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time 
of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good 
fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith. 
Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of 
righteousness  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge, 
shall  give  me  at  that  day;  and  not  to  me  only,  but 
unto  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing." — It  is  in 
the  last  words  of  Peter :  "  There  shall  come  in  the 
last  days  scoffers  saying,  Where  is  the  promise  of  his 
coming?  But,  beloved,  be  not  ignorant  of  this  one 
thing:  that  one  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand 
years  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day ;  and  he  is  not 
slack  concerning  his  promise,  as  some  men  count 
slackness,  but  is  long  suffering  to  usward,  not  willing 
that  any  should  perish.  But  the  Day  of  the  Lord 
will  come !  " — It  is  in  the  last  words  of  James :  "  Be 
ye  patient,  therefore,  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord, 
as  the  husbandman  waiteth  for  his  fruits.  Be  patient ; 
establish  your  hearts :   for  the  coming  of  the  Lord 

280 


THE    SECOND    COMING    OF    CHRIST    281 

draweth  nigh !  " — And  it  is  in  the  last  words  of  John, 
sole  survivor  of  the  Old  Guard  of  Apostles,  who  from 
his  desert  home  in  Patmos  heard  his  Lord  calling 
"  Behold,  I  come  quickly !  "  and  answered  "  Amen ! 
Even  so  come,  Lord  Jesus ! "  Thus  the  early  Chris- 
tians strengthened  themselves  in  "  the  glorious  hope." 
Their  morning  greeting  was  Maranatha,  "  He 
cometh ! " 

I  want  to  make  a  clear  statement  of  the  things 
which  we  know  definitely  concerning  the  great  doc- 
trine. Let  me  begin  by  frankly  saying  that  there  are 
many  things  we  do  not  know  about  it.  We  want  to 
stand  on  terra  firma,  and  receive  only  so  much  as  is 
authoritatively  revealed  in  the  Word  of  God. 

First,  He  will  Surely  Come. 

At  this  point  our  information  is  without  if  or  per- 
adventure.  Jesus  said,  "  When  the  Son  of  Man 
cometh,  shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth  ?  "  He  will 
surely  come.  Our  faith  may  tremble,  but  his  word 
abides.  His  second  advent  was  announced  at  the 
time  when  he  was  received  up  from  among  us.  The 
disciples  had  come  to  Olivet  by  appointment  to  meet 
him.  The  Great  Tragedy  was  over;  and  he  had  risen 
from  the  dead.  He  had  announced  beforehand  that 
he  would  meet  them  at  this  mountain,  and  they  were 
there  awaiting  him.  No  doubt  they  conversed  in  low 
murmurs  as  to  the  sacred  memories  of  the  past:  for, 
whichever  way  they  looked  there  were  his  footprints. 
They  wondered  among  themselves  whether  he  was 
now  about  to  establish  his  sovereignty  on  earth ;  when, 
on  a  sudden,  he  stood  among  them,  and,  lifting  his 
hands,  uttered  his  usual  greeting,  "  Peace  be  unto 
you."    He  then  spoke  to  them  at  length  of  the  coming 


282  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

of  his  kingdom,  and  renewed  his  great  commission: 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature."  This  done,  he  ascended  from  their 
midst ;  the  earth  could  no  longer  keep  him,  the 
stronger  attraction  of  heaven  drew  him.  With  hands 
stretched  out  in  a  final  benediction,  he  passed  out  of 
sight;  and  they  stood  gazing  and  wondering. 

It  may  be  there  was  a  golden  glow,  like  a  chariot 
of  fire  in  the  skies ;  vibrations  in  the  air  like  waving 
banner ;  a  crimson  splendor,  as  if  the  celestial  gates 
were  thrown  open.  Oh,  if  they  could  have  heard  and 
seen  the  things  that  were  happening  beyond  those 
clouds ;  where  he  whose  head  had  been  crowned  with 
thorns  but  was  now  crowned  with  glory,  passed  in 
among  the  adoring  throngs  to  the  imperial  majesty 
"  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was." 
Was  there  ever  such  a  triumphal  entry?  "Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  ever- 
lasting doors,  and  let  the  King  of  glory  enter  in." 

"  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into 
heaven?  This  same  Jesus  whom  ye  have  seen  ascend 
into  the  heavens  shall  come  again  as  ye  have  seen  him 
go !  "  Two  men  in  shining  apparel  stood  by,  and  that 
was-  their  message :  "  Why  do  ye  contemplate  the 
voiceless  skies?  This  is  no  time  for  reveries.  The 
harvest  field  is  yellow  and  awaits  you.  To  your  tasks ! 
He  shall  come  again,  as  ye  have  seen  him  go ! " 

Secondly,  He  shall  Come  Unexpectedly. 

He  himself  says  that  his  coming  will  be  "  as  a  thief 
in  the  night " ;  "  as  the  lightning  shineth  out  of  the 
skies  " ;  and,  again,  "  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noah, 
so  also  shall  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be."  How 
was  it  in  the  days  of  Noah  ?    An  old  man  was  building 


THE    SECOND    COMING    OF    CHRIST    283 

a  boat  five  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest  navigable 
water.  The  people  passed  by  and  wagged  their  heads 
and  tapped  their  foreheads,  thinking  him  demented; 
they  made  sport  of  him,  saying,  "  It  seems  clear 
weather,  though  you  speak  of  a  deluge.  A  fine  boat, 
that  upon  the  ways.  When  will  the  launch  be  ? " 
And  in  an  hour  when  they  thought  not,  the  flood 
came  and  swept  them  all  away.  "  So,"  said  Jesus, 
"  shall  my  coming  be." 

Thirdly,  It  will  be  a  Personal  Coming. 

The  Coming  of  Christ  is  in  various  ways.  He  came 
to  you  graciously  once,  saying,  "  Behold  I  stand  at  the 
door  and  knock.  If  thou  wilt  open  to  me,  I  will  come 
in  and  sup  with  thee."  And  your  Christian  life  began 
when  you  opened  to  him. — He -comes  to  a  man  sympa- 
thetically, in  time  of  sorrow,  as  he  promised,  "  I  will 
not  leave  you  comfortless,  I  will  come  to  you." — He 
comes  dynamically  to  the  world  every  hour  of  every 
day,  as  he  said,  "  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.  And  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  present  order  of  things." — 
He  comes  to  us  at  death ;  "  Yea,  though  I  walk 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will 
fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with  me;  thy  rod  and  thy 
staff,  they  comfort  me." 

But  there  is  something  more.  All  these  interpreta- 
tions fall  short  of  exhausting  the  promise  of  Christ. 
He  is  to  come  in  propia  persona.  And  that  leads  me 
to  say, — 

Fourthly,  It  will  be  a  Visible  Coming. 

Ye  shall  see  him  come  as  ye  have  seen  him  go. 
Hisce  cum  oculis,  "  With  these  very  eyes."  It  may  be 
from  this  side  or  from  the  other;  it  matters  not;  we 


284  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

shall  see  him  at  his  coming.  And  we  shall  know  him, 
for  he  is  the  very  same.  He  will  be  recognizable,  at 
his  triumphal  advent,  as  the  very  Christ  who  lived 
and  suffered  among  men.  His  hands  will  be  the  same 
that  ministered  to  their  needs,  his  feet  the  same  that 
walked  along  the  paths  of  Palestine ;  his  heart  will  be 
the  same  heart  that  throbbed  responsive  to  human 
want,  and  broke  at  last  under  the  burden  of  human  sin. 
The  marks  will  be  in  his  hands  and  in  his  side, — the 
stigmata  by  which  the  world  will  know  its  crucified 
and  triumphant  Lord.  He  did  not  become  incarnate 
simply  as  a  temporary  expedient  or  to  accomplish  a 
transient  purpose ;  he  remains  forevermore  the  incar- 
nate Son  of  God.  Thus  John  the  Evangelist  saw 
him,  seated  upon  his  throne,  "  as  a  lamb  that  had 
been  slain." 

Fifthly,  His  Coming  is  to  be  Glorious. 

Not  as  it  was  at  Bethlehem :  a  mother  looking 
fondly  down  into  her  baby's  face,  a  group  of  rustics 
at  the  door-way  of  the  cave,  standing  on  tip-toe  peer- 
ing in ;  a  few  shepherds  on  their  knees  about  the  child ; 
a  company  of  wise  men  on  camels  approaching,  to 
lay  their  gold  and  myrrh  and  frankincense  at  his  feet ; 
— that  was  all.  Not  so  will  be  our  Lord's  final  ad- 
vent. The  tokens  of  attendant  majesty  are  definitely 
given  us. 

The  trumpet  shall  sound,  the  trumpet  of  a  great 
angel  going  as  a  herald  before  the  King.  He  will 
then  appear  in  a  pavilion  of  cloud ; — not  the  dust 
cloud  that  rises  before  the  outriders  of  a  king  draw- 
ing nigh  in  the  highway ;  but  the  shcchinah,  the  "  most 
excellent  glory  "  in  which  the  Lord  has  manifested 
himself  again  and  again ;  the  Cloud  that  was  over  the 


THE    SECOND    COMING    OF    CHRIST    285 

Tabernacle,  that  led  the  Children  of  Israel  in  their 
journey  through  the  wilderness,  that  enfolded  the 
disciples  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  And  he 
will  be  attended  by  a  multitude  of  angels.  The  shin- 
ing seats  of  heaven  will  be  emptied  to  furnish  his 
retinue  on  that  great  "  Palm  Sunday  "  when  hosannas 
will  fill  the  earth  as  they  fill  the  heavens  now.  "  The 
mountains  and  the  hills  shall  break  forth  into  singing, 
and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands 
before  him.  Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up  the 
fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  briar  shall  come  up  the 
myrtle  tree ;  and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord  for  a  name, 
for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be  cut  off." 

Finally,  He  will  Come  Beneficently. 

He  lifted  his  hands  in  blessing  as  he  vanished 
through  the  skies.  He  shall  so  come,  lifting  his 
hands  again  and  saying  "  Peace  be  unto  you."  His 
fan  will  be  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  thoroughly  purge 
his  floor.  One  thing  shall  be  swept  utterly  from  the 
face  of  the  earth,  to  wit,  sin.  No  more  trail  of  the 
serpent,  no  more  shame  and  remorse,  no  more  wrong 
and  oppression,  no  more  war  and  desolation,  no  more 
envy  and  hypocrisy,  no  more  sin !  The  Tabernacle  of 
God  shall  be  among  men  and  he  will  dwell  with  them ; 
and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be 
their  God. 

But  when  shall  these  things  be?  Here  we  have 
definite  information,  but  not  such  as  enables  us  to  de- 
termine the  precise  date.  To  the  disciples  at  Olivet 
who  asked,  "  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  the 
Kingdom  to  Israel  ?  "  his  answer  was,  "  It  is  not  for 
you  to  know  the  times  and  the  seasons,  which  the 
Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power."    And  on  another 


286  CHRIST   AND    MEN 

occasion  he  had  said :  "  Let  no  man  deceive  you.  For 
many  shall  come,  saying,  '  Lo,  here !  or  Lo,  there ! ' 
Believe  them  not.  For  of  that  day  and  that  hour 
knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels  which  are  in 
heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father.  The  Son 
of  Man  shall  come  at  an  hour  when  ye  think  not." 

But  there  is  one  sign  that  definitely  fixes  the  nearest 
point  at  which  our  Lord  can  possibly  appear,  and  he 
himself  has  given  it :  "  This  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto 
all  nations ;  and  then  shall  the  end  come."  We  thus 
perceive  why  the  weary  years  and  centuries  have 
dragged  their  slow  length  along.  The  Lord  is  waiting 
until  his  people  shall  have  fulfilled  their  great  commis- 
sion. He  did  not  say  that  the  world  must  be  converted 
before  he  would  come:  he  did  say  that  the  gospel 
must  be  proclaimed  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 
And  he  left  that  injunction  upon  his  Church,  laying 
the  responsibility  upon  you  and  me.  He  is  waiting, 
then,  upon  his  people.  He  will  not  come  until  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  has  been  "  preached  as  a  wit- 
ness unto  all  nations."  And  oh,  how  that  word  of  his 
rings  out :  "  Go  ye !  "  Has  it  touched  your  heart  ? 
Has  it  pierced  your  conscience,  yet?  Go  ye!  Go  ye, 
preach  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  to  the  last  man ! 
"  Then  shall  the  end  come." 

Meanwhile,  watch.  The  word  occurs  again  and 
again  in  the  teachings  of  Jesus.  How  are  we  to 
watch?  Like  those  that  look  out  of  the  windows? 
Nay,  he  has  told  us  how :  "  Let  your  loins  be  girt 
about,  and  your  lights  burning."  A  man  lights  his 
lamp  for  an  expected  guest,  and  girds  his  loins  when 
he  addresses  himself  to  an  important  task.     Watch, 


THE    SECOND    COMING    OF    CHRIST    287 

therefore,  at  your  work,  for  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
Man! 

At  the  close  of  the  tenth  century  the  Christian 
world  thought  that  the  end  was  drawing  nigh,  since 
this  was  the  close  of  the  cycle  of  a  thousand  years. 

The  signs  were  all  favorable.  The  social  deeps  were 
broken  up,  there  were  wars,  famines,  pestilences,  nat- 
ural convulsions,  confusion  everywhere,  "  Signs  in 
heaven  above  and  in  the  earth  beneath."  The  Lord 
surely  was  drawing  near.  In  the  last  year  of  the  cen- 
tury the  impending  event  was  proclaimed  from  Chris- 
tian pulpits.  Industry  was  everywhere  suspended. 
The  Emperor  of  Germany  announced  the  Truce  of 
God,  and  went  about,  in  a  garb  of  penitence,  preach- 
ing the  Coming  of  Christ.  On  the  last  day  of  the  year 
the  people  clothed  themselves  in  ascension  robes ;  and 
at  sunset  betook  themselves  to  the  roofs  of  the  houses, 
the  porches  of  cathedrals  and  the  open  fields,  where 
they  stood  expectant.  The  hours  passed  until  mid- 
night. Midnight  passed  ;  the  stars  began  to  fade.  The 
first  gleam  of  morning  came ;  and  the  Christian  world, 
heaving  a  sigh  of  relief  as  of  one  coming  out  of  a 
paralysis  of  mingled  fear  and  hope,  went  back  to  its 
work. 

Then  came  the  Crusades,  the  greatest  movement  in 
history  prior  to  the  Reformation.  The  monks,  led  by 
Peter  the  Hermit,  with  kings  and  courtiers,  went 
everywhere  proclaiming  the  Conquest  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  Dens  vult!  "  It  is  the  will  of  God !  "  We 
must  do  something  toward  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
Man.  We  must  be  waiting,  but  waiting  at  our 
tasks.  Thus  Christ  is  ever  saying  to  his  people 
"  Watch ! "     Watch  and  be  sober,  watch  with  your 


288  CHRIST    AND    MEN 

loins  girt.  Let  your  door  be  on  the  latch!  It  may- 
be at  evening,  or  at  midnight,  or  in  the  morning  that 
he  will  come,  but  watch !  "  Blessed  is  that  servant 
whom  his  Lord,  when  he  cometh,  shall  find  so  doing." 

Who  would  sit  down  and  sigh  for  a  lost  Age  of  Gold 
When  the  Lord  of  all  ages  is  nigh? — 
For  each  old  Age  of  Gold  was  an  Iron  Age  too, 
And  the  meekest  of  saints  shall  find  something  to  do 
In  the  Day  of  the  Lord  at  hand ! 

Wherefore,  let  us  busy  ourselves  in  faithful  service 
and  be  ready.  "  Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  his 
Lord,  when  he  cometh,  shall  find  so  doing " ;  and 
blessed  are  "  all  they  that  love  his  appearing."  I  greet 
you  in  the  glorious  hope:  " Maranatha"!  Amen. 
Even  so  come,  Lord  Jesus.  The  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 


Prayer. 

O  God,  we  love  the  Appearing  of  thy  Son,  in  whose 
death  are  the  issues  of  our  life ;  and  we  pray  that  the 
time  may  speedily  arrive  when  thou,  working  through 
thy  people  in  thy  Church,  shalt  have  prepared  the  way 
for  the  Great  Coming.  Meanwhile  make  us  faithful, 
every  one  in  his  own  place,  watching,  with  loins  girt 
and  arms  bared  for  labor,  that  we  may  be  ready  to 
give  him  welcome.  Hear  us  for  his  name's  sake. 
Amen. 


DATE  DUE 

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HIGHSMITH       #  -45220 

